The Buena Vista Butterfly Farm Story
By Lish Baylor
I
have always dreamed of standing in a field surrounded by
Butterflies.
It was the happy place I
would always go to when life got a little too tough. One day I was
at the memorial service for my supervisors’ niece, Gina; and her
young children released butterflies. Something inside me came
alive. When I got home that evening, I began to research
information on raising and releasing butterflies. I have been a
Social Worker for most of my adult life, and I felt this was an
opportunity to do something to feed my soul.
My
husband is a General Engineering Contractor who specializes in weed
abatement. The Butterfly Farm is neutral territory, and a balance
of man and nature. Daryl began rototilling chunks of land on the
ranch, I planted, and planted and planted some more. The first
years were dedicated to planting my "Field of Dreams". I knew if I
had planted the nectar plants, and allowed the host plants to grow,
I could have a self sustaining Butterfly Garden.
Now I look at those "weeds" that I had spent so many years trying
to eradicate, and say with a smile, "That’s the cater-pillar host
garden". You can plant pretty nectar flowers, and the Butterflies
will fly in, have a drink and move on; much like a fast food
drive-thru. BUT, if you leave the host plants for their offspring
to live on, they will dine in, spend some time in the honeymoon
suite, lay their eggs, and the cycle continues in your own
backyard.
My Field of Dreams
I
grew up on a farm in Iowa, and really hated cleaning the manure
from the barn
on weekends, when my friends were going to movies and having fun. I
vowed I would never scoop poop again. My family reminds me that now
I have come full circle as I scoop caterpillar poop. My only
response to that is, "I use a tiny shovel now".
We
recycle and reuse as much as possible. We do not use toxic
chemicals or pesticides and
we conserve energy and water by changing our daily living habits.
We encourage
others to do the same. Everything we do has a cause and effect on
our world. We are a certified Mon-arch Way station, as well as a
certified Butterfly Habitat for North American Butterfly
Association. I am President of the California Chapter of Butterfly
Rescue International, and Wings of Hope.
Our Butterflies are shy, so we aren’t open to the public; however,
they love to go on road trips to Weddings, Funerals, Graduations,
Birthdays, Tea Parties, schools, libraries, and other special
events. Be the change you want to see in the world. Check out our
website for more information and how to order your own butterflies.
www.buenavistabutterflies.com
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