Repopulating a butterfly species on the brink of extinction isn’t a task that just anyone can pull off. Tim Wong, an aquatic biologist of the California Academy of Sciences, wanted to repopulate the California pipevine swallowtail butterfly which was almost extinct. He built a greenhouse in his backyard and made sure the environment within it was just right to raise the butterflies.
Adding to the complexities is the fact that these butterflies only feed on one plant. Tim found the unusual plant at a botanical garden, and they allowed him to retrieve a few clippings for his project. He then procured 20 caterpillars and put them in his greenhouse. It’s now been 3 years, and his project was a success. He has beautiful, healthy butterflies. Check out the images below.
Meet Tim Wong, an aquatic biologist of the California Academy of Sciences.
He built a greenhouse in order to repopulate the disappearing California pipevine swallowtail butterflies.
The greenhouse was suitable for these butterflies to grow with enough sunlight, the right temperatures, and California pipevines to feed on.
Once the greenhouse was ready he brought in 20 caterpillars.
They started to grow and mature, and eventually formed chrysalis.
Finally, the long wait was over as they transformed into beautiful butterflies.
Wong has been doing this for the last three years, producing more butterflies each year.
All his efforts in repopulating this rare specie have paid off.
(via BoredPanda)
Thanks to Wong, we’ll be seeing more of the California pipevine swallowtail butterflies in the future. Hopefully, others like him will do the same to save other species out there from extinction.
