Butterflies for Release

We have butterflies available from late May to September, yearly.

• We start take preorders starting September 1 of the year prior. You can order online, email us, or call our office (780-462-1839). 
• September orders are limited and must be placed in advance.
• Our schedule is based on historical weather patterns, migratory data of Painted lady butterflies, and may be affected in-season by current conditions

Butterflies may sell out weeks or months in advance. 

• They take us 4 weeks to raise, please preorder as far in advance as you can. Availability is first-come first serve. Popular summer weeks are often sell out early.
• Orders are processed in the order they are received. With enough notice (4+ weeks), we have the option to breed your butterflies just for you which locks in your availability providing we are not already at capacity. Many people order as early as January or February for planned celebrations and events.

That said, we understand many events in our lives cannot arrive unexpectedly.  We try to keep extra butterflies available all summer long if we can - but even these are first come first serve. 

• Even if your window of time is super short (even a couple days), it's always worth inquiring. We cannot firmly guarantee availability, but we will do our very best for you.

All butterfly orders require a minimum of 50% deposit to be paid at the time of booking, to guarantee your spot. Remaining balance is due no later than 5 days prior to shipping. Deposits are non-refundable but can be carried forward as credit. 

PRICES

Minimum 6 butterflies per order. 

Online orders are bundled in bundles of 6, 12, 25, or 50 and you can order multiple bundles.

• 6-24 butterflies:   $13.50 per butterfly 
• 25-49   butterflies:   $11.50 per butterfly
• 50 or more butterflies: $9.50 per butterfly

Note that butterfly quantities cannot be inventoried online and all online orders are processed in the order they are received. We can sell out based on the number of people ordering at a similar time as you. We reserve the right to cancel and refund your order within 4 business days should we sell out between when you placed it and when we process it.

 We do not offer pickup.

We ship weekdays only and the butterflies can safely go 5 days in the box.

Place your order with the prior week selected for shipping: we will determine the best exact ship date. Upon invoicing (1-4 days later - check your junk folder!) we will include that updated ship date, which is based on the timeline need for your butterflies to arrive prior to your event date.

Your shipping date is not a delivery date.

The following rates are based on standard boxes and do not include oversize boxes* (greater than 12"x12"x12"):

Within Edmonton City Limits   $18.00
(local courier: delivery is same day as shipping)***
Within 40 KM of Edmonton        $20.00
(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)

Calgary                                            $30.00

(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)

Elsewhere in Alberta:                  $35.00
(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)
MB, SK, BC                                       $45.00 
(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-3 days)
Ontario, Quebec                           $55.00
(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-4 days)
NS, NB, PEI:                                     $70.00
(Purolator Express: allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-4 days)
NL**, Yukon, NWT, Nunavut:         $90+

(Buffalo Air, Air North, sometimes Purolator by special arrangement. Timeline will be quoted.)

**Any customers ordering live insects in Newfoundland and Labrador will be asked to provide the required provincial import permits for handling wildlife.

***Mechanical delays and natural disasters are rare but can cause occasional shipping delays beyond the recommended timelines listed above (examples: downed planes, flat tires, flood, fires)

We do not offer pickup. Our apologies for this inconvenience: we run a biosafety lab for animal and human safety, and in the province of Alberta these locations are not permitted for the public.

PACKAGING

Butterflies are packaged in individual release boxes (see below for photo or in the item listing for the purchase) for their safety and well-being. The boxes are 1x1x2", and mimic the kind of locations butterflies shelter in from bad weather in the wild: small, tight hiding spots where they feel secure from weather and predators. 

This means each person receiving a butterfly will have their own special moment with it before they set it free as they open the boxes.

All butterflies in their boxes are shipped together in an insulated shipping container, with an ice pack to keep them cool (not frozen) during transit. This puts them in a rest state like what they would experience overnight in the wild: they sleep, cool and dark, and should be kept that way until you are ready to release them. 

From the day we ship, the butterflies can safely do a maximum of 5 days in these conditions.

SHIPPING

Outside Edmonton

Butterflies are shipped Purolator Express (overnight) within Canada, which requires an average minimum of 24-48 hours for delivery. We do ask for allowance of 48 hours on all out-of-town butterfly release orders to provide leeway for mechanical delays or mistakes by Purolator. 

Shipping and delivery is only available on weekdays excluding holidays.

Due to these shipping timelines, we cannot accommodate release events on Mondays or Tuesdays (we cannot get the butterflies to you on time). Wednesday events are cusp: we will need you to acknowledge that timely delivery is not always available for daytime Wednesday events outside of Edmonton.

We cannot provide you with exact delivery times. Purolator can accommodate business hours if your business lists them on google. All other orders are delivered anytime between 8 AM and 6 PM on weekdays. 

Please monitor the tracking PIN number you are issued through Purolator: that is the most accurate and up-to-date way of monitoring your shipment's progress.

Within Edmonton

We work with local courier companies to provide same-day shipping in Edmonton. 

Shipping and delivery are  available on weekdays excluding holidays.

By default, orders typically arrive between 10 AM and 2 PM: delivery outside of that timeline can be requested but we will need to approve it. Please let us know if you need special accommodations for delivery timelines.

We take animal wellness and ethics very seriously: if you're unsure about anything , please call us right away: 780-462-1839 

Butterflies are strictly seasonal and dependent on us to provide them with a good start to their new wild lives. 

We do not offer releases outside of our ethical release window (end of May-mid September), and we reserve the right to cancel  or postpone your order if conditions occur which are non-compatible with life. 

REQUIRED RELEASE CONDITIONS:

• Daytime temperatures of 18+
• Nighttime temperatures of 8+
• Sunny conditions (full sun-mostly sun) at time of release. 

These are a little flexible, but butterflies definitely prefer the warmest and most brightly lit part of the day. You want to give them the best chance.

Conditions which will prevent a successful release include consistent rainy or overcast conditions, excessive wind, snow, cold temperatures, smoke from forest fires, and natural disasters. 

Chances of them remaining near your release location will be increased if both host and nectar plants are in the area. 

Due to the needs of the butterflies, we do ask that you make backup accommodations for a "plan B" release event, should conditions on your chosen day prove incompatible with releasing butterflies. 

Butterflies are not always convenient: they are a living, breathing animal with needs of their own. Please do not attempt unethical release practices which may put them at risk. 

ARRIVAL: 

• Open the box and inspect your shipment. Let us know right away if anything is missing or there are concerns such as damage. Take photos if necessary.
• Your butterflies have been packed with an ice pack to keep them cool. You can remove the ice pack and re-freeze it for later use, should you need to transport your butterflies again. 
• Cool conditions will keep them calm and feeling safe, fooling them into thinking it is a chilly night, which is how this species survives stretches of cool weather in their northern range. To conserve energy, they enter a state of dormancy until temperatures are favorable. 
• The butterflies need to be stored cool and dark until you release them. 

STORING THEM: 

• You can use a regular fridge to store them, as long as it is on it’s WARMEST setting (usually around 7 degrees). Wine coolers are great. 
• Good temperatures are 7-15 degrees C, as stable as possible. They can go a bit lower, but no higher than 15. 
• We do not recommend garages or basements, as they are rarely as stable as a controlled fridge. Nor can they stay in the box with the melted ice pack. 

NOTES: 

• It is important that your butterflies do not drop below 4ºC; they may perish, or above 16-17 ºC, as they will wake up in the box and panic. 
• Butterflies can stay in their boxes, in cool storage, for around 5 days safely.
• If you need to store them for longer, they will need to be unpacked and fed. Please contact us for instructions should that need arise. 

From the day we ship, the butterflies can safely do a maximum of 5 days in these conditions.

PDFs of our instructions for general care and releasing, as well as if you need to feed your butterflies, are online over on our instructions page. Head to the section called "Painted Lady Butterfly Releases" and click the top button!

We will also provide written paper instructions in the box with your butterflies!