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While it does not dominate every butterfly species in terms of variety or size, its stunning colours, conspicuous presence and epic migration have given rise to its name, Monarch, which in other settings means a royal ruler or a dominant figure.
The monarch butterfly is a large, migratory insect (Danaus plexippus) with bright orange wings and black veins, a colour pattern known as aposematism. It is also called the milkweed butterfly because its appearance serves to warn predators that it is toxic. Milkweed (Asclepias) is poisonous to humans, livestock and pets.
While it is not the largest butterfly, it is much larger than many garden butterflies.
“There are 20,000 species of butterflies worldwide, and 750 in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T),” revealed Trinbagonian butterfly collector and aspiring lepidopterist Raimundo Reyes, 23, who rears diverse species but is particularly thrilled by the Monarch.
A lepidopterist is a scientist or hobbyist who studies or collects butterflies and moths.
Reyes told Guardian Media that, during his school years, no such profession was ever introduced to him on Career Days. However, he had always wanted to do something fun, creative and unique, yet productive.
He is also an artist who sells his work at pop-ups or conventions. In partnership with his cousin Xavier Quesnel, 19, he established the business Mizpah Butterflies.
Making their parents, schools, residential communities, young people and country proud, Santa Cruz-based Reyes is the son of teachers Maria and Andre Reyes.
He attended St Xavier’s Private School and Holy Cross College. St Joseph-based Quesnel is the son of project manager Susana Reyes and IT specialist Quinten Questel. He attended Presentation College, Chaguanas, and is currently attending the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus.
“Our parents are very supportive of the business,” stated Reyes.
Raising butterflies
“We raise butterflies through the egg, caterpillar and chrysalis stages,” explained Reyes. “We then sell these chrysalises to the public. We want the public to experience the incredible metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly from its chrysalis.”
A key component of the process is securing and maintaining suitable containers of adequate size. These are made from items obtained from sources ranging from grocery stores to hardware stores and are adapted into special containers fitted with netting to rear caterpillars.
Reyes, however, admitted that rearing caterpillars of some species is difficult. It requires a lot of time and adequate food to feed them.
He said rearing monarch butterflies is enjoyable and inspiring, but can also be risky and difficult because of organisms such as Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) and the nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV).
OE and NPV
“OE is an infection and NPV, a virus,” explained Reyes. “Apart from some other butterflies, this infection and virus affect the monarch butterfly species as well as humans. They’re found on the milkweed leaves, which is the plant the monarch butterfly lays its eggs on.
“It’s also found on the monarch egg. Once the caterpillar emerges from its egg, it will eat the egg and then eat the leaf that has the infection and virus, which could then kill the caterpillars or cause the butterfly to become deformed. To combat this, I bleach-treat every egg I collect from my yard and every leaf I give my caterpillars. This is the only way to raise healthy monarch butterflies!”
The mighty Monarch
“It’s an iconic butterfly,” reflected Reyes. “Seeing its amazing vibrant orange, black, and white colours in flight is truly spectacular. Our monarch butterflies here in T&T don’t migrate as the ones in Mexico do because we don’t have the cold winter conditions that trigger that migration. To escape the cold, they make an incredible journey from the Midwestern and Eastern United States and Southern Canada to the Oyamel Fir forests in the Transvolcanic Mountains of Central Mexico. Millions of Monarch butterflies gather in these mountain forests to spend the winter. I hope to experience that phenomenon someday.”
Reyes strongly advises people to learn to recognise the monarch butterfly’s colours and, if they catch one, to release it back into the wild or a garden. He also advises people to wash their hands carefully after handling a butterfly with bare hands.
The lifespan varies among butterfly species. While some live for only two days and others for a week, the monarch butterfly lives for two to six weeks.
During the third week of September, Reyes was excited to share that he had a wide variety of butterflies emerging. Although, as with all births, he was unsure precisely when they would emerge, both he and Quesnel would continue learning, educating others and helping to ensure that the butterfly community thrives.
“This experience completely changed my life, and we hope that it can change a lot of other people’s lives as well. We also want to educate the public about how important these butterflies are to the environment. We want more of the youth and the general public to develop an interest in butterflies and nature,” concluded Reyes.
