.png)
Our Commitment
Saving the Monarch species is at the forefront of our existence. And we want to share the sheer beauty of their presence with everyone.
Glass House Butterfly Farm not only wants to bring the dire situation of the Monarchs into awareness, but help them repopulate as well. We need our pollinators!
Glass House Butterfly Farm would like to thank each and every one of you for helping this endangered species. Together we can make a difference!!
What Is a Butterfly Farm?
Glass House Butterfly Farm & Gardens is a habitat I’ve created to grow and nurture butterflies for conservation and release.
The Monarch
The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly is one of the most recognizable insect species in North America. Its wings have a “classic” black, orange, and white pattern with an impressive wingspan of 4 inches. There are four generations per year, with the final generation living eight months or longer.
Lots of people are aware of their miraculous ability to migrate between 1,200 and 2,800 miles from Canada and northern United States to California and Central Mexico. But most are Not aware that they are now endangered. Urban development and herbicides are two leading causes for this population's decline.
How we eat!
The Monarch's only host plant is milkweed. Their travel patterns depend on this crucial food source. We will only see the Monarch if there is milkweed to lay eggs on and eat.
Monarchs are as important as honeybees for pollination. They contribute greatly to the overall health of our ecosystems. Eighty percent of agricultural food production depends on pollinators.
Help us!
In a 2014 20 year comparison, the overwintering numbers of Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains had dropped more than 50% since 1997 and east of the Rocky’s by more than 90% since 1995. Furthermore, there was a reported 20% annihilation of habitat by humans where Monarchs overwinter in a single year between 2022-23
STATUS: ENDANGERED
Painted Ladies
The Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui) Butterfly is the most familiar butterfly in the world. It has an orange/brown, black and white spot coloration with a wingspan of 2-3 inches. It is found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia and has the widest distribution of any other butterfly in the world, thus receiving the nickname "Cosmopolitan".
Where we live
They live in open areas such as fields and meadows but can even be found in tropical regions. Painted Ladies prefer to eat and lay eggs on thistle, but unlike the Monarch, will diversify to many other plant species.
How we thrive
Painted Lady Butterflies are also migratory, although their behavior is a bit more erratic. They only live in warmer climates, therefore reaching northern regions only when the temperatures allow. They can travel 100 miles a day when migrating. This species is a more common site to see and is not endangered.
Painted Ladies also serve as pollinators and have a big effect on many plant species.