By Shaikha Alshamsi
Nov. 18
SHARJAH – The Sharjah Butterfly House in Al Noor Island imported more than 600 pupae from the Philippines and Costa Rica this year to educate visitors on the biodiversity of butterflies.
Educational Coordinator Ali Kakembo said that they have selected these countries to showcase the various species of butterflies that inhabit tropical areas and protect nature.
“Our main objective is to promote environmental conservation,” Kakembo said.
The Butterfly House imported 22 species of butterflies, including the yellow Mormon known as Papilio Lowi, the owl butterfly known as Caligo Memnon, the Blue Morpho butterfly and the Dirce Beauty known as the Zebra Mosaic butterfly.
Kakembo said that these butterflies in the form of pupae reach in about one to two days once they are shipped. He added that during their transportation, pupae are wrapped in cotton and placed in boxes to prevent any damage as cotton is a smooth material that can give them protection.
“We also require that the pupae shipped to us are fresh to make sure that there is plenty of time before they can hatch,” he said.
Kakembo said that the pupae are attached to several sticks upside down, which can replicate their natural hatching position and habitat. He said that they place them in chambers so that they will be prepared to hatch into butterflies within 14 days at most. The educational coordinator added that this process occurs as part of the life cycle of a butterfly, which is explained to every visitor in the Butterfly House.
He said that the butterfly life cycle starts with an encounter between a mature female and a male butterfly in a process called metamorphosis. The female butterfly, usually in spring, locates a leaf on which it can lay eggs and twists its entire body towards that direction. Kakembo said that these eggs are made of a sticky substance that allows them to get directly attached to the leaf.
After five to six days, the young stage known as larva has developed inside the egg. This is the caterpillar stage of the butterfly where it can chew its path out of the egg. The caterpillar begins by eating from the plant on which it was hatched before moving onto its egg. When prepared, the caterpillar forms a pupa and finds a strong branch to spin sticky silk threads.
The caterpillar spins a thread around its middle section known as the belt and produces a piece of coiled thread at the end of its tail, which is called the pillow. Once a shell develops under its shed, it hardens into a protective case and the caterpillar turns into a jelly-like blob.
The butterfly emerges as the case (Chrysalis) becomes clear, but its wings are moist and crumpled. To dry out and expand its wings, the butterfly pumps blood into them. Kakembo said that as soon as its wings become dry, the butterfly flies around the house to feed on the nectar of flowers.
He said that the Butterfly House is temperature controlled to suit a tropical weather type from where these butterflies originate. The temperature is set between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius with a humidity at 60 percent.
“We ensure to provide an ideal temperature for the butterfly to survive well and be able to reproduce,” he said.
Kakembo added that the United Arab Emirates opened many butterfly gardens even though it has no native butterflies.
“Seeing this great change makes me believe that the UAE can become home to many more butterflies,” he said.
The butterfly house was built and designed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority Shurooq. It opens daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. to allow the butterflies to sleep and encourage a longer lifespan.
