It's easy nowadays to have a fancy-looking website with high-tech graphics. You must look beyond and behind appearances to find an experienced, well-established and respected breeding facility. Swallowtail Farms is the "Original Butterfly Company" and has been in business many years. We are more than just a website and have produced hundreds of thousands of beautiful monarch butterflies since 1991.

Our experience, high standards and special methods including our Flight Proven™ Technology result in your butterflies:

• Arriving on time
• Emerging alive and healthy
• Being large and bright
• Flying in stunning beauty

Unfortunately, not all butterfly breeders are on the up-and-up, hence our warning: Buyers Beware! We highly recommend that you ask the following questions as you shop around for a live butterfly supplier:

• Are your butterflies Monarchs, Painted Ladies, or a "mixed bouquet?" (Correct answer: "Monarch butterflies ONLY!" Painted Ladies are ¼ the size of Monarchs and a "mixed bouquet" is fancy language for the butterfly company's lack of ability or inexperience to commit to a specific type of butterfly, especially the much superior Monarch butterfly. Many companies use the much smaller and inferior "painted lady" butterfly (be sure to see our side-by-side comparison between these two butterflies). At Swallowtail Farms, we don't believe in cutting corners in order to sell an inferior product at a slightly lower price.

• Do you guarantee the delivery? (Correct answer: "Yes!") Unfortunately, we have noticed a new trend in the butterfly industry: leaving the customer high-and-dry when the package doesn't show up in time for the event. It's unfortunate this is even an issue, but we feel that the public needs to ask this question when shopping for butterflies. Since these are live butterflies, they will be scheduled to arrive very close to the event date (no sooner than the day before). This doesn't leave much room for error and so we greatly depend on a timely delivery via the overnight carrier (FedEx). All butterfly breeders ship this way, but not all provide the same guarantee. One of the things that sets us apart from other butterfly companies is that we provide a money-back guarantee up to the value of 8 dozen butterflies even if it's not our fault. For example, if FedEx loses your package or doesn't deliver in time for your event, you'll get your money back with us. With other many other companies, you're just plain out of luck.

• Do you ship overnight in insulated containers? (Correct answer: "insulated container with freeze pack.") Standard containers are not enough to protect butterflies from heat. It takes only 1-2 hours in a hot delivery van to kill most butterflies.

Does each butterfly come in a release box? (Correct answer: "YES, each butterfly is placed in a BOX.") A paper envelope has a course texture and will likely rub the scales off of the wings of the butterfly. Our standard release boxes are stylish and elegant, yet designed to keep the wings of the butterfly safe. For mass releases, butterflies are shipped in special glassine transfer envelopes which are designed for the protection of the butterfly. (Glassine envelopes work well for shipping & transferring, but are not proper to be used for release.) Many companies pack their butterflies in thin paper origami envelopes. Paper origami envelopes often come apart in shipping and are not substantial enough to protect the butterfly when handling prior to the release. Our boxes are made of thick card stock and are held together by a locking tab which ensures that the butterfly will remain safe and healthy from the moment they leave the farm until the time of release.

• Will we receive adult butterflies or chrysalides? (Correct answer: "adult butterflies.") It takes work to hatch a butterfly, and hatching chrysalides in boxes results in a messy pupal shell and body fluid which your guests will see. About 10% fail to emerge when chrysalides are shipped in boxes instead of butterflies.

• How long have you been in business and how much experience do you have with monarch butterflies? Swallowtail Farms, Inc. is an award winning company that has been around for many years and will continue to be there when you need us. Our success as a business depends on your satisfaction as a customer. We are a reliable and professional firm with several farms across the country. We have developed mulitiple cutting-edge commercial breeding techniques, including our Flight Proven™ Technology, to ensure that you receive the highest quality butterflies available. Our rearing methods and resulting butterflies have also been certified by a well-respected insect pathologist to be of high standards and disease free. When you place an order with us for live butterflies, our many years of experience and dedication to high standards are your insurance for receiving lively, healthy, and beautiful monarch butterflies for release at your special event.

		Monarch Butterfly (wingspan approx. 4")
		Painted Lady Butterfly (wingspan approx. 2")
(Butterflies shown at correct relative size)