Butterfly World
> The Colorful Winged World
Butterfly World is the result of one man’s hobby gone wild.
Born of Dutch immigrants, Ronald Boender grew up in Illinois and had always had a fascination with butterflies, beginning with the cabbage whites, black swallowtails and silk moths he found while growing up on his father’s farm.
He moved to Florida in 1968, and after retiring from a successful career as an electrical engineer, he decided to actively pursue his interest in butterflies, beginning by raising local butterflies and butterfly food plants in small numbers at his home.
When he learned there was a market for “farmed” butterflies for sale to Universities and Zoos, Boender established MetaScience Co., a commercial butterfly farm, in 1984. The staff at MetaScience produced up to 1000 butterfly pupa per week, and established methods of butterfly rearing that are still in use at Butterfly World.
Opening day was March 28, 1988, with Butterfly World encompassing 3 acres of butterfly aviaries, botanical gardens and the working butterfly farm and research center that Boender had worked years to establish. In the years that have followed, the park has expanded to include the 2 additional aviaries for tropical birds and an interactive lorikeet encounter, as well as a skilled aviculture care and research staff to support these endeavors.