Butterfly Pavilion
In January 1999, a delegation from Durham, including entomologist John Wallace and two of his students from Millersville State University, visited FEV to train several farmers in butterfly pupa propagation and to build a 600 square foot netted butterfly pavilion. In only 3 months, the farm was able to successfully raise several varieties of butterflies, secure transportation and permission for export and to begin shipping pupa to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C.
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Photos by Jacob Fields (c)
When visiting Finca Esperanza Verde you may assist in the care of butterfly eggs and caterpillars and the work of gathering their daily diet of leaves.
Although FEV no longer exports butterfly pupa, the butterfly conservatory is used to teach local school children and visitors about the life cycle of this captivating creature. FEV’s butterfly conservatory has fostered the creation of butterfly farms throughout Nicaragua.
FEV reopens Feb. 10th
FEV in Oprah Magazine
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, David Zucchino, writes about his trip to FEV in the UU World, Fall, 2011.
The rutted road continues up a lush mountainside, past banana plants heavy with fruit and tree canopies inhabited by howler monkeys and sloths, to an outpost high in the rain forest. Carved out of the mountain 4,000 feet up, the setting offers spectacular views of the Dariense mountain range and the green valley far below.