Hundreds of butterflies on display inside new Butterfly Haven in Pingree
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PINGREE – Randy Reed of Pingree has liked butterflies his whole life. This week, his dream of opening a butterfly pavilion is coming true.
The Butterfly Haven opened its doors Wednesday. The business houses more than 200 butterflies, in addition to several varieties of birds and flowers. There is also a beehive and chrysalis observatory.
You would think maintaining a butterfly pavilion is the least stressful job ever, but Randy Reed tells EastIdahoNews.com it takes constant effort to keep everything running smoothly.
“Some butterflies live two weeks, some live two months,” Reed says. “You constantly have to be putting more in.”
Reed has six or seven different locations he visits on a regular basis to collect more butterflies.
“He’s like the butterfly whisperer,” says Sarah Lott, Reed’s daughter, a member of the sales team. “I don’t know what it is about him, but he just holds out his finger and they’ll land on it. I couldn’t do that if I wanted to.”
Reed says it also takes consistent effort to landscape and maintain the right conditions for the greenhouse where the butterflies are kept.
Reed owns Liberty Tomato and has grown both tomatoes and herbs. But after losing a supplier for the herb business several years ago, he had some extra space.
“I had extra space I wasn’t using. I decided if I’m ever going to do a butterfly house, now is the time,” Reed says.
He and his family have been working for the last year to make it a reality and the community seems to be responding positively. After announcing the opening of the business Monday, they’ve had over 8,000 hits on Facebook.
Lott says they are excited for people to come experience the Butterfly Haven.
“It’s fun and educational. I’ve learned so much about butterflies that I never knew before,” she says.
Reed says he would eventually like to have 400 butterflies at the business and hopes to have caterpillars for display as well.
The Butterfly Haven is located at 1462 West 200 South in Pingree. It is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.
The cost is $10 for ages 13 to 64, $9 for ages 65 plus, $8 for ages 3 to 12, and ages 2 and under are free.