7 minute read
Transforming Joy
Transforming Joy
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BUTTERFLY LADY
By: Mimi Greenwood Knight
One thing Michelle Collier loves about her job is how happy she can make people. Who’s not happy when the butterfly lady’s on the scene?
“Even if it’s a sad occasion, I’m there to bring a bit of joy,” she said. “At a funeral, a celebration of life or an event commemorating organ donors, I’m able to offer a little peace, kindness and hope with a butterfly release. It’s beautiful and pleasant. How many people can say that about their job?”
Collier’s fascination with butterflies began at a young age. “I’ve been raising butterflies since I was four,” she said. Like many good things, her vocation came out of one of life’s challenges. “I was a hyperactive child,” Collier said. “I couldn’t keep still and my teachers didn’t know what to do with me. My mom tried changing my diet and she found activities to keep my body busy and my mind challenged. From the moment I got home from school until I went to bed, she had me outside and active. She was an amazing mom.”
Capturing and raising butterflies was one of the Then, in 1999, a friend showed her an article about raising butterflies for a living and that hyperactive child within took the bait. “The very next day, I flew to Dallas to take a class on butterfly raising,” she said. “I flew back home and put in my notice at work.”
Friends and family thought she’d lost her mind when she rented a farm, despite never having farmed in her life. Collier began raising the plants her butterflies would need, growing each from seeds so she knew no pesticides were involved.
“Most people don’t realize that each caterpillar requires two plants,” she said. “When you’re raising thousands of butterflies, you’re really doing two jobs. You’re raising the butterflies, and you’re raising the plants they’ll need to survive. There are challenges on both ends.”
Butterflies require host plants where they lay their eggs and whose leaves will provide a buffet for emerging caterpillars. They also need nectar plants to provide food for adult butterflies. And because different butterflies prefer different plants, Collier had to decide which butterflies she would raise before deciding which plants she needed to cultivate.
Collier began her butterfly enterprise in 1999 in Waggaman, but it was completely wiped out six years later by Hurricane Katrina. She then moved the operation to Luling, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Now, after 18 years, Collier is transitioning to a new farm in Folsom.
“Even though it’s only 60 miles away, the weather is different enough on the Northshore that even the butterfly species are different,” she said. “So, I’m studying and researching now to see what I’ll need to plant and which butterflies I’ll be able to raise. I learned the hard way not to fight nature. When Mother Nature says it’s too cold or too hot to raise butterflies, it’s time to shut it down for a while. And when the butterflies don’t like a certain plant, you’re not going to change their minds.”
By listening to nature’s dictates, Collier hatches 2,000 to 4,000 butterflies a week between March and May each year. From June to September, she does about half that number.
Her farm is organized as only a mathematician could. There are netted cages inside of greenhouses and outdoor cages. There are gardens where caterpillars are free to feast on wild plants— each species provided with the plants they prefer. Then, there are pop-ups that are basically netted laundry baskets with plants and butterflies inside.
For each species of butterfly, Collier has to know the timeline of when they will pupate and when they will hatch. Since butterflies only live 15-29 days, she must sell them within two days of hatching so she knows she’s selling vibrant, viable butterflies. Indoor and outdoor cages are all meticulously documented and dated and, because she often ships butterflies to other states, she must adhere to strict USDA guidelines. These dictate the species that can be released in each region and how many are allowed at any given time.
“In Louisiana, I can release any butterflies that are indigenous to our state. The largest butterflies we have here are the giant swallowtail which are always a big hit. But their larva feed on citrus leaves and, because Florida has such a large citrus industry, I’m prohibited from shipping them there,” she said. “Painted ladies, red admirals and cabbage whites are the only ones that are allowed in most states. Monarchs are prohibited from crossing the Continental Divide. I have a complicated spreadsheet on my office wall with all the guidelines, and I have to have a separate permit for each species in each state.”
People may think of Collier’s job as fun and magical, but if you spend a day in her shoes, you’ll see the monumental amount of work involved in creating that magic.
“Many months, I’m working 17-hour days in the heat,” she said. “I’m feeding caterpillars, growing plants, packing and shipping butterflies, and keeping up with paperwork. Honestly, the majority of my day is spent cleaning up poop. Most people don’t realize how fast a caterpillar grows. The way they grow is through eating, and the more they eat the more they poop. It’s imperative that I maintain a sterile environment.”
For Collier, the best part of her job is any time she can spend doing a butterfly release. Bryan Johnson has been blessed to attend multiple releases in his role as administrator with Hearts for Hospice, an in-home hospice care organization. “We host celebration-of-life events for families who’ve lost a loved one and the butterfly release is something our families look forward to each year. At some events, each child is given their own butterfly to release. At others, we’ve released hundreds of butterflies at once. Some families come back year after year and the first thing they want to know is when we’ll release the butterflies,” Johnson said.
Jessica Dufrene Oubre, a hospital services manager for Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, helps organize remembrance ceremonies for families of organ donors and families of organ recipients. “Families bring photos of their donor heroes and are invited to release butterflies in honor of their lost loved one,” Oubre said. “Michelle fell in love with what we do and jumped right in with helping us honor our donor heroes. The children are always involved, and it’s such a powerful visual of hope for them. Some donor families will purchase butterflies from Michelle to bring home and hold their own private ceremony.”
Kerry Kenney met Collier when the latter gave an educational talk on butterflies at her local library. A butterfly enthusiast herself, Kenney quickly accepted an invitation to tour her farm. “I couldn’t believe how many inside and outside habitats she had,” Kenney said. “I learned so much from her that first day. She’s so calm and peaceful and completely at one with the creatures. It’s all just like breathing to her.”
As for Collier, even though she’s watched the metamorphosis literally millions of times, it’s still amazing to her. “Seeing the butterfly emerge with his wings all wet and, a few hours later, it’s ready for flight. Even after 50 years, it still amazes me,” she said. “And it’s something I can do to help the planet. Fifty percent of my job is educational. I go to schools, nursing homes, libraries, anyone who will let me talk about pollinators—not just butterflies—and the important job they do. Pollinators are vital to our existence. Butterflies are an important part of the food chain, and they pollinate the food we eat. If everyone would find a place in their yard for a couple pollinator-friendly plants, we could make a huge difference in our world. I see it as my job to get that word out.”
