When you want to make a wish, you may blow out a candle, blow away a fallen eyelash or even look up to the night skies to wait for a falling star. But now, at the Butterfly House, which opened last month on Sharjah's Al Noor Island, a new tradition has started – you can make a wish as you release a newborn butterfly.
Depending on what has emerged from its hardened pupa skin, known as a chrysalis, you could meet the majestic peacock pansy (Junonia almana) with four eye-like markings along its wings; the simple autumn leaf (Doleschallia bisaltide), which looks like a brown autumn leaf; or the delicate plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus), with its orange hues, black dots and white markings resembling those of a tiger. These are just three of the 16 species of butterflies that have been carefully brought from Asia to Al Noor Island, on the shores of Khalid Lagoon.
When The National visits, a cruiser (Vindula arsinoe) – with orange-and-yellow markings – is being released by a visitor. After being carefully placed inside a plastic container with a net opening for air, the emerging butterfly hangs upside down until its wings are dry and crisp enough to take flight for the first time.
“You have to be very careful, to make sure they are ready to be released and that you don’t injure them as they fly for the first time,” says the butterfly curator Mark Wright, a zoologist from the United Kingdom.
Education is an important aspect of the facility. Open from 9am to 6pm – “butterflies need their sleep” to encourage a longer lifespan – Wright and his staff explain to guests their life stages. For example, when a butterfly emerges, it needs up to three hours to dry before it’s able to fly. To do this, it pumps blood into its wings, and stains of the orange-red fluid can be seen at the bottom of the pupae chamber.
“Butterflies are just magical,” says Wright. “They have a magical effect on whoever watches them. You see them dancing in the air together, or sitting near sunlight, basking in it. They have a soothing effect on whoever meets them.”
With a career spanning more than 30 years, eight of those in the UAE, Wright has worked with all kinds of animals, from the biggest – elephants at Emirates Park Zoo – to his current project taking care of the tiniest and most fragile – butterflies.
Many species of butterfly only live for two weeks once they have emerged; some species can live for up to two years. A butterfly’s lifespan depends on several factors, including the safety of its environment and its size. Smaller butterflies usually live for two to four weeks.
Wright says he has started seeing butterflies in gardens and parks across the UAE.
“I have noticed a change, perhaps because of the many floral gardens now opening up in the UAE,” he says. “I saw a plain tiger fluttering about in Abu Dhabi’s Mushrif Park.
“The lime butterfly [Papilio demoleus malayanus], which is yellow, orange and black with a red dot, likes citrus host plants, and can be found in the UAE during the winter migration season, when they come here for the warm weather.” Like many species of birds, Asian and African butterflies fly to this part of the world during winter.
To see them close is a rare opportunity, made possible inside the 800-square-metre garden. Built by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the Butterfly House is part of the 45,470-square-metre Al Noor Island, which is covered by more than 85 species of plants and trees, with access via a pedestrian bridge over the water.
The Butterfly House has 20 species of flora from the butterflies’ native countries, as well as “artificial feeders” filled with a honey/water mix, and other feeders with slices of pineapple and orange. With no native butterflies bred in the UAE, the creatures are transported in pupae form from overseas, wrapped in gold foil inside special containers. More than 400 pupae arrive each week, but only about 350 usually make it to maturity.
“We provide a carefully controlled environment for them, with temperatures ranging between 27°C to 32°C, and humidity at 50 to 60 per cent, with mist from a misting system released regularly,” says Wright.
“Butterflies like to sit in tiny puddles of sweet water, and sip water, because that is where they get their minerals from.”
The staff are always careful not to allow “any toxins or chemicals” such as window or floor cleaners to be used in the Butterfly House.
“We educate people about how to handle butterflies and what makes them special, because some [people] come here fearing these winged beauties,” he says.
“Never touch the wings, but put your finger near them, near their legs, and see if they slowly walk onto your finger. We are here to help you have the best and most memorable experience. Just ask us,” says Wright.
The life cycle of a butterfly
Known as metamorphosis, the lifecycle of the butterfly begins with an encounter between an adult male butterfly and adult female. After finding a leaf on which to lay her eggs, the female curves her long body in the direction of the leaf and lays her very tiny eggs, usually in spring. The eggs are made of a sticky substance so they stick to the leaf.
Around five to six days later the larva (young stage) has developed inside the egg. This is the butterfly’s caterpillar stage. The caterpillar chews its way out from the egg – a process which can take several hours. It feeds on its egg first and then moves on to eat from the plant on which it was hatched.
The caterpillar grows quickly, the more it eats the bigger it gets. Eventually it sheds its first skin and grows a bigger one. A caterpillar has no time to sleep, as it only has a few weeks to store the energy it needs to change into a butterfly.
When ready, the caterpillar makes a chrysalis/ pupae (for butterflies) or a cocoon (for moths). It must find a sturdy branch and spin sticky silk threads to secure itself in place. It spins thread around its middle section (called the belt) and produces a patch of coiled thread at its tail end (called the pillow). Its skin will be shed for the last time and a shell will form underneath the shed skin. This shell hardens into a protective case which is the chrysalis. The caterpillar turns into a soft, jelly-like blob.
It takes a few weeks for the caterpillar to transform into a beautiful butterfly. When the chrysalis turns clear it is time for the butterfly to break free, but its
wings are wet and crumpled. It pumps blood into its wings to help them to dry out and to expand. Once the wings are dry, the butterfly is ready to fly away and search for flowers for food. Not all butterflies hatch out of their chrysalis right away, some spend the winter months inside and hatch out in the springtime. Most butterflies have a short life (about a month) so it must find a mate quickly to start the life cycle all over again. The adult will eventually return to the plant or tree where it hatched and will lay its own. The full process can take up to five weeks.
• The Butterfly House on Al Noor Island, Sharjah, is open daily from 9am to 6pm. Tickets cost Dh45 for adults and Dh25 for children. For more information, visit www.alnoorisland.ae/butterfly-house or call 06 552 1900.
rghazal@thenational.ae
