The “black and white” butterfly above actually is just barely blue. The blue tiger hails from Asia. Its neighbors here in the chrysalis case are a Doris longwing and a zebra longwing.

These photos were taken March 13, 2024, at Dow Gardens’ Butterflies in Bloom. On Wednesdays during the six-week exhibit, I spend a couple of hours tending the new butterflies in the chrysalis cases. When they are strong enough, they get released to the flying display.

How do they get released? I coax each butterfly onto my hand and transfer it into a mesh “bug catcher” with a zippered top. We also have smaller catchers, but there were a lot to release into the Conservatory this time. They probably would fly out on their own eventually, but I put them either on flowers or eager visitors. Unlike most butterfly exhibits, we encourage interaction, and show people how to hold steady so a butterfly feels safe crawling onto their hand. We do tell visitors not to touch the wings or the food dishes.