Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Entrepreneurs plan butterfly release

By Shari Kaplan

On Oct. 18, in a prelude to the colors of Halloween, local skies will fill with fluttering shades of orange and black--and a bit of white--as Los Gatos' own Magical Beginnings Butterfly Farms leads the community in a live monarch butterfly release, set for 3 p.m. at the Toll House Hotel, located at 140 S. Santa Cruz Ave.

According to Magical Beginnings co-owners Michael Talesfore and Chris Hundley, the butterfly biz has taken flight in recent years, with people releasing them at weddings as an attractive and environmentally safe alternative to rice or balloons. Some people release butterflies at funerals, where they take on a spiritual significance. Whatever the reason, such releases help replenish a once-dwindling butterfly population.

The monarchs released this month may hang around for a while, enjoying the nectar of late-blooming flowers and trees, but soon they will instinctively fly to the Pacific Coast and "overwinter." Huddled in groups and sheltered by trees, rocks or caves, the butterflies go into a type of hibernation until spring. Then they wake up, feed on nectar and mate. Natural Bridges State Beach is the closest known overwintering spot to Los Gatos.

Talesfore and Hundley will be on hand Oct. 18 to answer questions, tell about their research into monarch migration patterns and share stories about the insects. For example, some Native American tribes believe if a person shares a secret wish with a butterfly--which cannot speak to reveal it--the wish will be carried on the butterfly's wings to the heavens, where it will be granted.

Magical Beginnings' new butterfly kit will also be available. The kit, which Talesfore and Hundley created with Butterfly Encounters of Danville, consists of Attract Butterflies, a "tutorial" book on butterflies and their habitats, and a package of seeds to plant in the spring. The seeds grow to become several varieties of host plants--food for caterpillars--and nectaring plants--food for adult butterflies.

The cost per person is $10 in advance or $12 at the event; butterfly supplies are limited. Preregistration is available at the Wild Bird Center, located in Kings Court Shopping Center on Blossom Hill Road. For more information, call Magical Beginnings at 395-5123.

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