Tomatoes, Carrots, and Some Butterflies, Please.

There is something very rewarding about shopping a farmer’s market. When I return home with a basket of tomatoes and a bunch of carrots, I know that I have helped a farmer in a small way. It is empowering to think that my purchase can have an effect on other people.   The same is true of butterfly farms. Yes, there are farmers out there that raise butterflies and I was fortunate to have the chance to visit a butterfly garden right in the bustling city of San Jose, Costa Rica.

Spirogyra is an enchanting tropical garden that protects the last of the city’s forested land and provides a home for many incredible butterflies.  Even more inspiring, Spirogyra works with 15 other farms to raise butterfly pupae, offering families a competitve source of income and incentive to promote rainforest conservation. 

How does it all work?  Generally, there is a netted enclosure where butterflies reside and mate, laying eggs on plants.  These eggs are gathered by the farmers and placed in containers that are checked daily for hatching caterpillars.  Caterpillars are picky eaters and need a specific host plant.  They are provided host plant cuttings and placed into rearing bins.  As they eat and grow, farmers check continuously for the products that they will export- chrysalids.  These little jewels are carefully wrapped, packed, and then sent for destinations around the world such as yours truly.

Now, the incredible thing is that making a difference can be as easy as making a trip to the Butterfly Pavilion.  In each admission there is a gift to a farmer of a better life, a sense of worth, and insight of resource conservation.  So let’s not wait to enjoy the farmers’ harvests!

Written by Khanh Whiteman
Zookeeper, Butterfly Pavilion

Think Twice about your Sunscreen

I recently went on a diving trip to Cozumel, Mexico.  The coral reefs are beautiful, and they are starting to recover from Hurricane Wilma.  Everywhere you look there are corals, sponges, crabs, fish, sea stars, and much, much more, and every diver is eager to do one thing – jump in!  The water is refreshing, but on the boat the sun beats down on you and quickly causes sunburn.  Naturally I slapped on the all-important sunscreen to prevent my skin from being fried.  When I returned from my trip I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that my sunscreen may have harmed the corals that were so amazing.

 

An article titled Beat the Sun, Kill the Reefs in the May 2008 issue of SCUBA Diving states that some chemicals in sunscreen activates dormant viruses that reside within coral polyps.  These viruses kill symbiotic algae that the corals need to survive.  Without these algae the corals bleach and turn white then eventually die.  An estimated 16,000 to 25,000 tons of sunscreen is used in tropical countries a year, which may release as much as 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen in reef areas around the world.

What can you do about this problem if you are heading for the coastline?  Check your labels!  The problem lies in sunscreens that employ chemical filters that absorb ultraviolet radiation. Avoid sunscreens that use derivatives of paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone and camphor.  Buy sunscreens that use physical filters instead that scatter and reflect UV radiation, which usually contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  Happy diving!

Posted by Stephanie Hollister
Zookeeper, Butterfly Pavilion