ABOUT US

Keri Wright of Farfalla Butterfly Company became fascinated with rearing butterflies as a hobby, but adversity and a healing experience inspired her to pursue it as a career so she could share butterflies with others. 

Raising Butterflies as a hobby

In 1995 Keri tragically lost her mother. She continued to struggle with this for many years, and after one especially difficult day, she walked out into her backyard garden. Despite the beautiful, sunny weather, she felt unsettled. Suddenly, she spotted a brightly-colored monarch, floating and gliding through the garden. Expecting it to flutter away and continue on its journey, she watched it as it continued to linger very close to her, circling and seeming to stay with her. 

New hope from a butterfly encounter

The moment brought back memories of her mother and she realized she felt different than when she’d first walked outside. As though her mother’s spirit was there with her, she felt reassured and took the butterfly’s presence as a sign to move forward with her hobby. She felt like her mother was saying, “I’m here with you and it’s all going to be okay.” 

Raising butterflies is a time-consuming hobby. Caterpillars eat surprising amounts of leaves, and people rearing them often have a tough time keeping up with consumption. It’s not unusual to deplete one’s own garden of butterfly host plants. The obsessed hobbyist was able to find a local nursery that had pesticide-free plants, and that’s where Keri went when her garden’s supply was low.

Butterflies as a business

After years of buying host plants for her butterflies from the local nursery, Keri made an off-handed comment that she wished she could get paid for her efforts, and the nursery owner responded, “You can!” He proceeded to explain that butterfly farming is a profession. Farmers rear butterflies and instead of releasing them, they send them to weddings, memorial services,  parties, and special events for others to experience. 

At the time, she didn’t feel her job was a good fit and was trying to figure out what her next venture would be. She was looking for something closer to her heart and more entrepreneurial.  She thought back to that moment in her garden when she’d felt her mother’s presence so strongly through a butterfly, and realized she could bring that experience of healing to others. 

Keri decided to run with the idea of actually making her hobby a business. She was going to release the butterflies anyway. Why not let others release them and appreciate them as they fly off to find nectar and complete their life cycles in other people’s gardens? Farfalla Butterfly Company was born.