After an absence of nearly a year, exotic butterflies are returning to The Leaf at Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park.
“The first shipment of tropical butterfly chrysalides arrived and were placed in the emergence chamber in the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden last Thursday. Butterflies will gradually be released into the biome as they emerge, which can take up to two weeks,” Assiniboine Park Conservancy spokesperson Laura Cabak said in an email on Monday.
“While we may see tropical butterflies in the biome as early as this week, it will take a few more weeks before the butterfly experience is at its best.”
The butterfly garden was shut down last May 30 after it was discovered some of the butterflies had escaped the exhibit. That led to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) rescinding the permit to house exotic species, ruling the botanical attraction no longer met required plant- and pest-containment regulations.
The biome reopened a week later, but was only allowed to house domestic species. However, for the past few weeks there weren’t any of those, either, as they eventually died off.
There was less concern if a domestic butterfly found its way out because there would be no impact to native plant species.
However, an exotic butterfly could be problematic, since it would enter a much more botanically diverse environment. The Leaf is home to a wide range of plant species, including some that could be butterfly food.
Butterflies not native to Canada could also potentially carry pathogens, diseases, viruses, bacteria or fungi that could harm the local ecosystem, Jeffrey Marcus, a biology professor at the University of Manitoba whose research focuses on butterflies and related insects, told CBC News in May 2023.
At the time, Cabak said The Leaf was “confident no butterflies escaped from the building.” In the meantime, the exotic species were relocated to a holding facility, she said.
In her email on Monday, Cabak said the repairs to “small interior gaps that were allowing butterflies to enter other parts of the building” were repaired last June but regaining licensing was a lengthy procedure.
“We recently received a new CFIA permit to once again import and house tropical butterflies. While this process has taken some time, we respect the authority of the CFIA on this matter and appreciate their co-operation and support.”
The Leaf hopes to bring in about 30 different species, though not all at once, Cabak said.
Some of the more notable species include:
- Morpho peleides (commonly known as the blue morpho for the iridescent colour of their wings).
- Caligo species (known for their huge eyespots, which resemble owls’ eyes).
- Heliconius species (commonly known as longwings, in reference to their elongated wings).