HONOLULU (KHON2) — Henry Fang started Paradise Monarch in Sept. 2020 to stay busy amid the pandemic, which quickly turned into a passion to repopulate Monarch Butterflies.
Fang said he had been working in the hotel industry here on Oahu for over 10 years when the pandemic hit.
Like most people, he said he was furloughed for an entire year starting at the end of March in 2020.
Fang calls himself a workaholic and enjoys staying busy so being without a job was hard for him.
“I needed to find something to do while being locked up at home,” said Fang. “So, I started growing a lot of plants and started my herb garden.”
He said his next project was to raise chickens, however his HOA declined that offer.
“While laying in bed surfing the internet one day, I came across an article, where I learned that monarch butterflies are on the verge of becoming endangered species,” said Fang. “From there, it sparked my interests and I started doing tons of research about monarch caterpillars and butterflies.”
He then bought his first milkweed plant and started raising for fun at home, he said very organically, through social media, Paradise Monarchs was born.
“Through my journey raising the monarch butterflies, my favorite part was watching the butterfly emerge from chrysalis.” said Fang. “So, I created the chrysalis boxes so everyone can get the chance to experience it as well and be part of releasing monarch butterflies back into nature.”
Fang said the caterpillars they raise are local wild monarch butterflies. Meaning, the caterpillars are all raised very responsibly and given the best care.
“We want to raise the healthiest monarchs before releasing them back into nature,” said Fang. “With more butterflies released, hopefully it will help encourage and grow their wild population.”
He sells personalized gift sets for families wanting to help preserve monarch butterflies.
Included in each personalized gift set:
- live monarch butterfly chrysalis inside clear display box
- personalized detailed care & release instruction (printed with name of gift recipient)*pre-orders only on our website
- release date keepsake wooden tag
- kraft box carrier packed with tissue paper
During the pandemic, Fang said their chrysalis boxes was a great tool for kids to learn about the life cycle of monarch butterfly and have hands-on experience to witness the butterfly transformation.
He said the chrysalis require minimal care with no cleaning or feeding. All you have to do is simply watch the butterfly go through metamorphosis and open the box for release once the butterfly is enclosed.
“At first, people are unsure exactly what it is they are looking at inside the clear box,” said Fang. “But as soon as they realized it’s a live monarch butterfly chrysalis, their eyes light up and get super excited.”
He said the butterfly releasing is not only beautiful and special, but it symbolizes hope, happiness, positivity and a new fresh start.
“Inside the welcome card, there’s a blank space to allow recipient to name their butterfly before releasing it,” said Fang. “I love that our chrysalis boxes help put a smile on people’s faces when they are going through a rough time or just need some life/positivity in their life.”
Fang said since the start of his journey, they have released over 5,500 monarchs back into nature to date. He said the more people involved with raising the monarch caterpillars the better.
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For people interested, they can go to Paradise Monarch’s website and order a chrysalis box.
