Exotic butterflies have returned to Leaf after a federal agency reinstated the permit

After an absence of almost a year, exotic butterflies have returned to Leaf in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park.

“The first shipment of tropical butterfly chrysalids arrived last Thursday and were placed in an emergence chamber at the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden. The butterflies are gradually released into the biome as they emerge, which can take up to two weeks,” said a spokesperson for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Laura Kabak said in an email on Monday.

“We may see tropical butterflies in the biome as early as this week, but it will be a few more weeks before the butterfly experience is at its best.”

On May 30, the butterfly garden was closed after it was discovered that some of the butterflies had escaped from the exhibition. This led to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) withdrawing the permit to house the exotic species, with the botanical attraction no longer meeting plant and pest control regulations.

The biome was reopened a week later, but only native species were allowed to be housed. However, in the last few weeks, none of that happened, as they eventually died.

If the house moth finds its way out, there is less to worry about as there is no impact on native plant species.

However, the exotic butterfly can be problematic because it enters a much more diverse botanical environment. Foliage can be food for a wide variety of plants, including butterflies.

Butterflies not born in Canada can carry pathogens, diseases, viruses, bacteria or fungi that harm local ecosystems, Jeffrey Marcus, a biology professor at the University of Manitoba whose research focuses on butterflies and related insects, told CBC News in May. 2023.

At the time, Kabak told The Leaf that he was “certain that the moths did not escape from the building.” Meanwhile, the exotic species have been moved to a holding facility, he said.

In his email Monday, Kabak said repairs to “small interior openings that allow moths to enter other parts of the building” were repaired last season, but that restoring the license is a lengthy process.

“We recently received a new permit from the CFIA to once again import and house tropical butterflies. While this process has taken some time, we respect the CFIA's authority on this matter and appreciate their cooperation and support.”

Leaf hopes to bring in about 30 different species, though not all at once, Kabak said.

Some of the more popular types include:

• Morpho peleids (called blue morpho because of the brilliant color of their wings).
• Caligo species (known for their large eyespots that look like owls' eyes).
• Heliconius species (commonly called longwing, in reference to their elongated wings).