Kathy Huxford takes butterfly education to her local library.
From 'The Voice'
http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2010/07/06/armada_times/doc4c2b4bf8b7f8e932026954.txt
Butterfly Lady shows children the wonders of nature
Kathy Huxford dresses up Megan Malmonski to show what Monarchs need to survive in nature. Photo by Matthew Fahr
By Matthew Fahr Armada Times Reporter
Sometimes in life a hobby that starts at home for your children can turn into a business and become a point of interest for even more children. That is how Kathy Huxford became known as the "Butterfly Lady" and it is a business that won't have be hurt with a recession anytime soon.
Huxford was at the Armada Free Library last Wednesday showing a group of children from kindergarten to middle school age about the world of nature through the lifecycle of the Monarch Butterfly.
She demonstrated interesting facts about the simple life of the insect as it grows from caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. A male or female Monarch has a complete lifecycle of six to eight weeks to go from egg through adulthood.
Children at the presentation will be able to see part of that cycle before their own eyes as Huxford passed out a Monarch caterpillar to each one of the children. Within a week to 10 days they will see their colorful caterpillar turn into a winged creature of nature.
"It is great for the kids because they can see a small little lifecycle that is miraculous," Huxford said. "They can see at home what they may have read about in a book or in the classroom already."
She began raising butterflies at home as a hobby when her four children were younger, but in the past few years, that hobby has blossomed into a full-fledged business.
Along with an organic lettuce business, Huxford and her family now seasonally raise the insects for special occasions such as weddings or funerals that can be shipped throughout the country.
Each spring she orders about a dozen Monarchs from a special breeding farm in Florida, allows them to lay their eggs and the process begins.
At their Allenton home they have two greenhouses to raise the insects from their genesis as an egg through adulthood.
"It started out as educational and now has become both a business and still educational," Huxford said of her unusual career path. "I love what I do."
Her season runs through the fall and the butterflies themselves determine when the season ends based on when they begin their migration south.
The presentation in Armada is an occasional sidebar for Huxford, who has also done presentations at the Seven Ponds Nature Center in Dryden as well as trips to various schools in the area.
"The main goal is educating the kids and showing them what is out in the world and to get them out in nature to see what else can be learned," she said. "I hope all the kids follow through and see what can happen in their own houses."
