Foxboro Butterfly Farm
545 Ashley St K0K2B0 Belleville, ON, Canada

We were holding off on this post until we could provide more details on what we are doing different this year but decided it would only be fair to let everyone know we have started a wait list for the upcoming season July - September please PM us to get on the list and we'll be sharing exciting updates next week in regards to our new kits. So stay tuned!

This is not Butterfly related but if anyone ever wonders what we do in the off season you can find us at home eating Salted Caramel Cookies from Sweet Kate's Bakery one after the other.. They have many other delicious treats be sure to check out Kates Instagram and Facebook page, Have i mentioned she makes a wild blueberry pie!

Great News! We are now certified in Advanced Disease Prevention in Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera are the insect classification of butterflies and moths, Disease prevention goes a long way here at the farm and is something we invest 95% of our time into to make sure the monarchs we raise are healthy so we can make sure diseases are not passed to the next generations. If you have any questions, just let us know!

Did you know? That male monarch butterflies have a bigger Thorax than the females? The Thorax is located just under the head where the wings connect it's main function is to move the wings and allow the butterfly to fly, The larger the Thorax the more muscle and flying power. In the picture below is a male and female monarch mating, They'll actually lock together like this for up to 16 hours. The male monarch is actually capable with it's larger Thorax of flying from predators across the sky while it's female partner hangs below. Pretty Cool eh!

Well we've paid our dues. For those who are not aware we support, Association for Butterflies it is a dynamic trade organization committed to providing valuable resources for professional butterfly farmers. As the industry leader in butterfly education since 2004, AFB is dedicated to equipping butterfly farmers to raise the healthiest, most vibrant butterflies possible. We work within this community that shares more than 20 years experience in the butterfly farming industry a...nd supports us and others through the promotion of high quality rearing practices, continuing education, conservation outreach and research. All this helps immensely in our growing and learning process, It also helps us make sure we are providing you with the best experience possible when it comes to raising your monarchs and gives us an opportunity to donate money to an organization that helps the population survive through research and conservation.

For those that don't know the life span of a monarch butterfly is 2-6 weeks throughout the summer months then our last generation which flys to mexico have a lifespan of 6 months these guys are called the super monarchs. We try to make use of everything here at the farm which means limited waste. When a monarch does pass we like to continue their legacy as creatures that remind us of loved ones who are no longer with us and that new beginnings do exist. We are now offering m...onarch Jewelry which has been made from monarchs on the farm who didn't make it to the migration. Ear studs or hanging ear rings are $20 Small necklace is $25 (comes on black rope necklace) Large necklace is $30 (comes on black rope necklace) Bracelet is $35 We do have limited quantities available now and the rest will be made to order. If you have further questions please pm us.

End of year clear out of all our kits. Right now we only have the last of this seasons chrysalis which could hatch any day now. Normally a kit is $25 and includes one chrysalis but now we are selling them for $25 and giving you 4 chrysalis at no additional cost. PM us for pickup.

Just a quick update! We still have kits available for sale! we also have plenty of chrysalis if you prefer to not have to worry about feeding them :) $25 a kit and includes one caterpillar or chrysalis your choice, each additional one is $5 up to a maximum of 4! Send us a PM and we'll get your order ready for pickup!

Updated**** So here we are nearing the end of our season and guess what! We've made it through our wait list. Thank you everyone for your patience while we worked through your orders. We currently have 25**** kits left this year first come first serve. $25 for a kit then $5 per caterpillar.... We also have plenty of caterpillars so if you already own a kit and would like to have a second round at it caterpillars are $5 each. Stay tuned in our off season for more educational material and some new projects we are working on! Stay safe everyone!

Some may wonder what farming butterflies means. I wanted to make this post to educate everyone and put things into perspective a bit. A single female monarch will lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime on milkweed plants found along the roads and in agricultural fields. The eggs of butterflies as well as the larva are very prone to disease, pesticides, predators and loss of habitat. Sadly only 1% or 4 out of 400 caterpillars will survive. What we do is purchase eggs from other bu...tterfly farms that support the same organizations we do at the beginning of the year then we hand pair a male to female after many unsuccessful attempts they'll finally pair. This female will then lay her 400 eggs in our butterfly house on the very healthy milkweed we plant and care for 98% or 392 out of 400 of the eggs laid from this single monarch will live to be beautiful butterflies. We then continue to grow the amount of butterflies and caterpillars we have throughout the summer reaching very impressive quantities. When the eggs are laid on the milkweed we then have to separate them all individually since the monarch caterpillar is known to be cannibalistic to other eggs. These eggs are incubated in individual containers. When the eggs hatch they then move to a different container before reaching a manageable size and being placed in a large enclosure for rearing. Our plan is by next year to be able to offer an exhibit and more of a look into everything we do here at Foxboro Butterfly Farm and we hope you will follow us along the way

A sped of version of a beauty monarch emerging from it's chrysalis the last one left of this generation in fact! Enjoy! I do not own the rights to this song. https://youtu.be/hhcdoWGxHSw