It was an unusual sight for a children’s birthday party: The toys laid strewn and ignored on the sidewalk; the cupcakes sat untouched. Instead of raucous shrieks echoing through the park, it was so quiet that one could hear the breeze rustling through the leaves. What had caused such miraculous serenity?
Crowded into a mesh-lined tent, the children stood with eyes glued to Darlene Loo-McDowell, who had just arrived clutching a mysterious parcel. “Ready?” she asked them, pausing for dramatic effect before opening the parcel. To the delight of her audience, a cloud of monarch butterflies burst forth, flitting and fluttering about the tent in flashes of orange, gold, and black hues. They settled along the tent’s inner lining, on tiny noses and shoulders and atop little heads too. Carefully, Loo-McDowell demonstrated how to catch the delicate creatures with the tip of a finger, transfer them to another perch, and feed them drops of sugar water from little sticks. The children marveled and laughed, eager to try.
“It can be just a burst of hope,” Loo-McDowell says of the joy and wonder of a butterfly encounter. Her business, the aptly named Sharing the Butterfly Experience, is dedicated to creating these memorable, magical encounters for people of all ages.
It began as a simple desire to attract more pollinators to her Makakilo garden. Starting with a single milkweed plant, Loo-McDowell has since cultivated a full-blown butterfly passion, devoting time out of her day managing a law firm to feed her caterpillars and butterflies, tend to the garden, and prepare for events. Her husband, Richard, mans their caterpillar-encounter table at fairs, festivals, birthday parties, and weddings.
Having raised thousands of them, Loo-McDowell has become a butterfly expert. She knows that the bulbul bird is one of the monarch’s greatest threats, and that monarch caterpillars feast exclusively on milkweed. She explains that less than 10 percent of butterflies make it through the life cycle, and if you happen to find butterfly wings on the ground, the culprit is likely a bird that snatched the creature out of midair.
People remember a butterfly experience.
Darlene Loo-McDowell, butterfly farmer
There is also the important role butterflies play in the ecosystem. “Wherever you release the butterflies, they tend to stay and repopulate in those areas,” Loo-McDowell says. “Butterflies are pollinators, so you’re helping those areas.”
Loo-McDowell also cites the therapeutic benefits of engaging with butterflies. “We’ve had tons of adults who had never held a caterpillar before,” she says. “Just taking care of the garden, gathering caterpillars, and releasing butterflies is very good for your mental health.” Her popular chrysalis boxes, which house chrysalis-encased caterpillars that emerge as full-grown butterflies after a few days, offer customers a chance to experience the joy and satisfaction of raising butterflies themselves.
“People remember a butterfly experience,” Loo-McDowell says, a sentiment suggested in the beaming faces and joyous squeals of the children during their winged encounters at the birthday—a day that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
