Disney Helps to Raise Butterfly Populations

Please note: some posts may contain affiliate links which means our team could earn money if you purchase products from our site

Disney Helps to Raise Butterfly Populations

The Disney Conservation Fund is always helping to reverse the decline of butterflies through two unique programs, in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Thanks to the Connect to Protect initiative, their grant program has allowed guests visiting Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to participate in a mobile game and unlock a $100,000 contribution to help restore the coastal grassland habitat of the critically endangered Mission blue butterfly around the San Francisco Bay area.

Another way Disney is helping is by supporting the University of Florida’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. Here, they breed the rare and beautiful Atala butterflies and reintroduce them to their native habitat along the east coast of Florida.


Once thought to be extinct, Atala butterflies lay their eggs on only one native plant – the Coontie plant, which has been over-harvested for food and ornamental purposes. In an effort to help bring the butterflies back from the brink, Disney’s Conservation Team has developed a simple system to help raise these rare native insects. Cast members, with the help of the Animal Husbandry team, use climate-controlled butterfly terrariums made completely of recycled, reused or repurposed materials to care for the animals as they undergo metamorphosis. The terrariums are kept on the cast members’ desks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where they can be tended to continually.

Disney Helps to Raise Butterfly Populations

“It always brightened my day to come in to the office and experience this unique connection to nature right on my desk,” said Liz Clark, general manager of Discovery Island at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. “It was even better knowing that those butterflies then helped pollinate flowers on the coast and contributed to a larger butterfly population.”

When the butterflies emerge they are taken to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. There, resort guests can enjoy the magical experience of releasing the adult butterflies. So far, guests have released more than 650 butterflies at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, and hundreds more are planned to be released.

The conservation team has worked closely with Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and other communities in the area to be sure there are plenty of nectar plants for the butterflies to eat and pesticide-free Coontie plants for them to lay their eggs on. We are delighted by the success of this effort in growing the Atala population along the east coast.

To learn more about how you can help protect butterflies in your area, visit DisneyAnimals.com.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Disney Helps to Raise Butterfly Populations

Click here for your free no obligation quote!

Want more help planning your next Disney vacation? As an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, my goal is to help you plan the Magic your way. I create customized itineraries, book advanced dining and FastPass+ reservations, monitor for discounts for your vacation, and much much more! And did I mention that my services are FREE? Get in touch at 843-288-1130, via email at whitney@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook.

 


D2T-1

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!


Written by:

This account is for Past Writers and Friends who love Disney and want to share that love with you.
View All Posts
Follow Me :