Don't release butterflies in the winter

You may be interested in releasing some butterflies at your wedding or some other special event that occurs during the winter months. Unless you live in a very warm climate where the temperatures are at least 65 degrees, don't do it! Butterflies need temperatures of at least 65 degrees to fly. You may be in for a big disappointment if you are determined to release them during the winter months. And, those butterflies will not be able to survive the cold temperatures. Wait until the spring, summer or fall to hold your butterfly release. Choose another day that is appropriate....Mother's Day, a summer birthday, a warm weather holiday. A responsible butterfly farmer will not sell you the butterflies if he or she knows you plan to release them in cold temperatures.

Butterflies Eat Vension

Did you know that butterflies eat dead animals? Male butterflies eat several kinds of disgusting stuff. Carrion, soil with fertilizer and salts, and even dung. Cow manure and dog poop is a favorite meal of some male butterflies.

The Association for Butterflies is offering a Basic Butterfly Gardening Course online February 23 – March 30.

Please consider joining us to learn more about butterflies, how to attract them to your yard, and more ... even stuff you'd probably rather not know!

Caterpillar Eyes

Butterfly caterpillars are a curious lot ... with six legs, ten prolegs, and a habit of crawling out of their old skin, and even more oddities (at least oddities to humans), we can add another.

Caterpillars have 12 eyes. With these twelve eyes, they can basically tell light from dark.

If you'd like to learn more about butterflies, please consider joining the Association for Butterflies; Research, Conservation, Farming, and Gardening.

Supports receive a package of butterfly host and nectar seed assortment as well as being subscribed to the AFB newsletter.

A good deal of your $15 membership fee will go directly to supporting butterflies through conservation and research. Funds have been donated to insect pathologists, universities, and conservation associations.

If you would like to follow this blog by being notified when new items about butterflies and other facts are posted, please click on the 'follow blog' button.

Entertainment at the Association for Butterflies Symposium

LYNN WADLEY loves to sing, tell stories and introduce audiences to her collection of unusual instruments. She plays autoharp, dulcimers, bowed psaltery, concertina and the amazing musical saw.

A frequent performer at clubs and conventions, festivals, libraries and schools, Lynn has performed many times at the Florida Folk Festival and twice won the Florida Mountain Dulcimer Championship at Dade City. She brings the healing power of music to patients at Jacksonville hospitals and other care centers. Lynn has taught dulcimer at Jacksonville University, and at the internationally known John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina and now teaches privately at her home in Mandarin.

Lynn will be playing for us Saturday evening, December 6, after supper.

Association for Butterflies; Butterfly Symposium Schedule

If you haven’t already registered and sent in payment for the Association for Butterflies 2008 Butterfly Symposium, then you will want to hurry. Time is flying! If you are still contemplating on whether to come or not, read on; you won’t want to miss out. Friday is designed for those just starting into the business or considering it. Saturday and Sunday was put together with the consideration of what most established farmers are concerned about. All meals and snacks are included in the price of the convention.

Before the Symposium begins or after the Symposium is over, take some time to check out the Butterfly Rainforest or take a free tour of a real live butterfly farm, Shady Oak Butterfly Farm, (these are not included with the symposium).

Fill out the registration formto register and send in your payment today. For any questions email afb@forbutterflies.org.


FRIDAY


11:00 – 11:30 Egg care – gathering, washing, hatching

11:30 - 12:30 Caterpillar care – different methods of raising, basic signs of disease in caterpillars, disease ID and prevention, and predators/parasitoids

12:30 – 1:30 Catered lunch (included in seminar)

1:30 – 1:50 Pulling, washing, and gluing pupae

1:50 – 2:10 Emerging butterflies, checking for OE, basic signs of disease in adults

2:10 – 2:45 Release Boxes, Release Envelopes, and Releases

2:45 – 3:00 Break with drinks and snacks

3:00 – 3:30 Packing and shipping adult butterflies / Making your shipments look professional

3:30 – 4:00 Shipping companies and permits

4:00 – 4:20 Shipping eggs, caterpillars and pupae

4:20 – 5:00 Hand pairing and egg laying

6:30 - ? Supper (casual) with get together to know each other better



SATURDAY



8:00 – 8:15 Introduction and AFB Report

8:20 – 9:05 Photography by Bill Berthet

9:10 – 10:10 Disease Presentation kindly sent by Amanda Lawrence (Mississippi State University Pathology Department), presented by Edith Smith

10:10 – 10:25 Drinks and Snacks

10:25 – 10:55 Extending Shelf Life of Your Butterflies

11:00 – 11:15 Farmers Beware; How to Spot Rip-offs and Lies from Customers (are they outright intended theft?) by Edith Smith

11:20 – 12:00 Monarch Migration by Bill Berthet

12:00 – 1:00 lunch

1:00 – 1:45 Marketing / Advertising (to be announced)

1:50 – 2:50 Websites and Web Placement by Dave Polk www.equippedforservice.com

2:50 – 3:05 break with drinks and snacks

3:05 – 3:35 Butterflies and Plants ~ An Essential Relationship by Linda Marchman

3:40 – 4:25 Traveling exhibits by Dan Greathouse

4:30 – 5:?? Making More Money with your Butterflies

6:00 – 7:00 Supper (casual)

7:00 – 9:00 Entertainment





SUNDAY



7:30 – 8:30 Church service for anyone who wishes to attend

8:30 – 9:00 Breakfast

9:00 – 9:30 Class – how to use and hold releases – for wedding/event/funeral/fundraisers – Class is for wedding and event planners, funeral professionals, and fundraiser organizers

(farmers to watch and all AFB members take home this presentation to use directly in their community to build their customer base.)

9:30 - 10:00 Displays – table top, place setting, and floor displays

Theme displays (wedding, baby shower, tea party, anniversary, birthday party, funeral, memorial, etc.)

(Farmers, take home these ideas to offer to your customers to build the bottom line)

10:00 – 10:15 Snacks and drinks

10:15 – 10:30 Q&A

10:30 – 11:00 Live Butterfly Release with attendees and farmers.

11:00 – 11:30 How you can use this presentation and class to get more business for YOUR farm/business (for symposium attendees only)

11:30 – 12:30 End Symposium with lunch (included)

Butterfly Breeding Farming Seminar - Learn how to become a butterfly farmer!

Friday’s Symposium

Are you a beginner butterfly farmer or would like to become a butterfly farmer? Well you won’t want to miss Friday’s Symposium. This is chock full of hands on information and experience from gluing actual pupae, or checking butterflies for OE, to actually packing a box of living butterflies.

Schedule:

11:00 – 11:30 Egg care – gathering, washing, hatching

11:30 - 12:30 Caterpillar care – different ways of raising, basic disease ID and prevention and predators

12:30 – 1:30 lunch break

1:30 – 1:50 Pulling pupae and gluing

1:50 – 2:10 Emerging butterflies, checking for OE, touching on signs of disease in adults

2:10 – 2:45 Boxes and envelopes – the what’s and how’s

2:45 – 3:00 Break

3:00 – 3:30 Packing and making it look professional

3:30 – 4:00 Shipping companies and permits

4:00 – 4:20 Shipping eggs, caterpillars and pupae

4:20 – 5:00 Hand Pairing and egg laying


And this is just Friday. You won’t want to miss what’s coming Saturday and Sunday.

If you are just interested coming on Friday, then the cost is:

$70 for AFB members

$100 for non members

Or choose to attend all three days and save. Look for more information in the coming weeks.



Email afb@forbutterflies.org for any questions. Or visit the Association for Butterflies website for more informtion.



Jodi Hopper

AFB president

Monarch Migration; Association for Butterflies

Association for Butterflies Symposium topics are going to be very interesting. One of Saturday’s topics, Monarch Migration is by Bill Berthet.

Bill has had the pleasure of visiting the Monarch over wintering sites. His presentation goes beyond basics and shares what makes them fly, where they fly, and why they fly to those areas. To top this off, he is even offering actual migration photos he has taken in Mexico so that you can go home and put your own presentation together, free for those attending the symposium.

So, for those who do presentations, you won’t want to miss this. Even if you do not do presentations, this looks to be very interesting. If you have not already signed up for the symposium, go to www.forbutterflies.org so that you can register today. You won’t want to miss it.

Bill is the recipient of the Volunteer Jacksonville’s 2008 Nature of Caring, Heart of Gold Award.

Bill started raising silk moths and butterflies as a hobby when he was 8, to learn more about them, having discovered these miracles on his paper route. Bill is not and never has been a butterfly farmer. Instead, he has worked hard ‘for butterflies’, sharing his wealth of knowledge, his plants, his time, his energy, and his money to help others build their gardens and habitats in general. Bill is involved in butterfly counts and other butterfly conservation activities.

We hope to see you there!

Association for Butterflies; Butterfly Symposium Hotels

We’ve had requests for information about hotel and motel rates for the Association for Butterflies (AFB) seminar and symposium. These hotels and motels are ¾ mile or less from the symposium location. http://www.forbutterflies.org/symposium2008.html





All prices were obtained for Dec 5 or 6 – these prices do not include taxes.



The symposium is located in Country Inn and Suites http://www.countryinns.com/gainesvillefl $159.00

Country Inn and Suites is located at the junction of I-75 and Archer Road in southwest Gainesville.





Other local hotels (their websites, phone numbers, and rates) near the symposium:



Motel 6 http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.aspx?num=414 352- 373-1604 $49.99 Wifi $3 extra per day



Super 8 http://www.super8gainesville.com/ 352-436-4450 $58.98



Sleep Inn http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-gainesville-florida-FL883?promo=gglocal 352-376-4145 $89.00



Hampton Inn http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=GNVFLHX 352-371-4171 $129.00



Holiday Inn Express http://www.holidayinnexpress-gainesville.com/ 352-376-0004 $109.00 and up





These rates do no include discounts for AAA, AARP, business discounts, or other discounts.



Notes:

Some hotels will offer a discount if the trip is a business trip. Take your business card or other item and ask for a business discount. Some hotels/motels offer additional discounts.
Travel discount coupon magazines are available at rest areas along interstates and at some restaurants like Shoney’s. These magazines have discounts that can save you (literally) from $5 to $40 per night. Pick up a magazine to check for these hotel’s coupons.


Check out these hotels for your stay for the AFB seminar and symposium in December!

Association for Butterflies Farmer's Symposium

The 2008 Association for Butterflies Symposium



What? Symposium for Butterfly Farmers

When? December 5-7.

Where? Gainesville, Florida – Country Inn and Suites

Why? Read on!



Friday - Are you raising butterflies or are interested in becoming a butterfly farmer? Then you won’t want to miss this first ever AFB Beginners Butterfly Farmers Seminar.



The seminar starts Friday morning. You will have hands on experience with pinning pupae, gathering eggs, disinfecting eggs, pairing butterflies, to packing a box with butterfly eggs, larvae, pupae, and/or adults. What will you learn? You’ll learn how to raise butterflies from A to Z plus more. This seminar is designed for new beginner farmers and covers the basics of farming. When you leave, you will leave ready to start shipping your own butterflies the professional way without any questions.



Fee for Basic Butterfly Farming Seminar on Saturday - $70.00 AFB member and $100 non-member



Are you already a butterfly farmer and know all you need to know about beginner farming? Then you won’t want to miss the next two days.



Saturday –

Disease, and how to identify it, control it, and how to eliminate it.
Would you like to learn how to make more $$, sell more butterflies, and to whom and how you can market your butterflies? Then you want to attend this symposium.
You will learn what works and what doesn’t work in a butterfly farming/breeding operation.
In office – paperwork and more
Hold on to your hats; more announcements are coming about the topics and speakers at this symposium.


Sunday –

Wedding, event, and funeral professionals are invited to attend the AFB Butterfly Release Course. This is the same course that the AFB also offers free online. YOU are invited to attend this course to watch how it is conducted and to gain ideas of centerpieces, decorations, and other ideas you can share with professionals (potential customers) in your area. Each professional takes home a gift bag of items that relate to butterfly releases. Included in this gift bag is a list of all full AFB members as well as their business cards and/or brochures. During this course professionals will each personally release a butterfly and watch several types of butterfly releases (weather permitting). If you have an idea or item you’d like displayed during this course, please email afb@forbutterflies.org with a photo of the item.

Take home a copy of the presentation that the AFB uses to teach this class (and to teach online classes) to use for your own personal business. This cd is free to full members and available to non-members for a fee. Personalization of this presentation is available for full AFB members for an extra fee. Personalized presentations will be mailed to your address after the symposium.





Sign-up Fees

Fee for just Saturday and Sunday – $175.00 AFB members - $225 non-member

Fee for all three days - $225 AFB members - $305 non-member



You say you can’t afford to come? If you are serious about butterfly farming, you can’t afford not to come. Whether you are a beginner or already raising butterflies, unless you already are raising and selling all the butterflies you want, then you won’t want to miss this symposium. It will be well worth your time and money.



If you would like to attend the AFB Symposium, please register here;




Rooms are available at Country Inn and Suites http://www.countryinns.com/gainesvillefl. 352-375-1550 To obtain a discount on your hotel room, tell the staff that you are attending the Association for Butterflies Symposium. For a list of other local motels and hotels, please write afb@forbutterflies.org.