Swallowtail Farms was established in 1993, long before live butterfly releases were as popular as they are today. Therefore, we have come to be known as "The Original Butterfly Company." We have always been committed to the highest quality products and customer service, setting standards for excellence in the industry. To learn more about us, please scroll down to see some of our accomplishments.

Satisfied Customers

Our Greatest Accomplishment ...

.. three boxes full of thank you notes, pictures, and letters from our many satisfied customers. In our history of providing butterflies for over 20,000 weddings, memorials, and special events, many of those customers were so pleased that they sent us unsolicited correspondences showing how much they enjoyed the butterflies at their events. We keep and cherish each one. This is our greatest joy and we will do everything possible to ensure that they keep coming. If you are a customer of Swallowtail Farms and would like to add your comments, please send us an email. We'd like to hear from you.


Independently Recognized

The Better Business Bureau has given us an A+ rating based upon their review of our company. Believe it or not, most butterfly businesses have less than an A rating and there are several with an F rating. So, when shopping around, be sure to get a 3rd party opinion of the quality of the company's products and customer service.


Business Journal

Ranked 9th Fastest Growing Company in 2001

In September of 2001, Swallowtail Farms, Inc. was chosen to be 9th out of a long list of nominations as one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in Northern California by the Sacramento Business Journal. If it weren't for our customers, we wouldn't have ever dreamed of such an honor. Thank you to all of our customers who trusted us to be an important part of their special day.

greenhouse

Helped Build Largest Butterfly Farm on the West Coast

In 1997, we embarked on the long process of building one of the largest butterfly farms on the West Coast. Now under new ownership, this multi-acre farm has produced hundreds of thousands of large and vibrantly colored butterflies for weddings, memorials, and butterfly houses. Please click HERE to see some pictures of the farm.


Oe Solution

Developed the First Commercially Used Disease Treatment for Monarch Butterflies

The disease Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (commonly called Oe), is a protozoa parasite that has plagued monarch growers for years. The breeders at Swallowtail Farms, Inc. believed that our success in production depended on our ability to grow healthy and disease free livestock. So, our researchers began in the search for a way to treat and eliminate the Oe protozoa. After almost a year of research and with the help of Dr. Kingston Leong (Department of Entomology, Cal Poly), Swallowtail Farms, Inc. developed the first commercially successful treatment to kill and eliminate the Oe spore. This treatment is a combination of lab methodology and protocol in additional to the application of our specially developed treatment liquid formulated to kill protozoa spores without harming the monarch egg. We have been using this treatment successfully since 1998.


UCLA health endorsement document

Swallowtail Farms' Butterflies are Certified to be Disease Free

Well known and respected UC Davis insect pathologist, Dr. Harry Kaya, inspected a sample of monarch livestock taken from our production. His conclusion was:

"Based on my examination of the specimens above and your detailed account of how you rear your monarch butterflies, I believe that you have no detectable insect pathogens in your rearing program. I congratulate you on maintaining a very clean operation." (emphasis added)

We were very pleased with this result as we had worked very hard developing a disease control system to ensure that our customers would receive only the healthiest and most beautiful monarch butterflies. Please click on the image to the left to see the full contents of Dr. Kaya's letter to Swallowtail Farms.


Unique and Custom Designed Packaging for Live Butterflies

Packaging

At Swallowtail Farms, we are blessed with having talented designers who know how to create packaging that will protect and preserve the precious contents of live butterflies while making the package elegant, stylish, and appropriate for the occasion. All of our packaging is custom designed and only found at Swallowtail Farms. We pay close attention to detail all the way down to the shipping box to ensure that the butterflies are well preserved and that our customers will be fully satisfied with their live butterfly release experience.

 

Please see here for videos of our Standard and Designer Release boxes. 

Click here to see Mass Release boxes


accomplishments

Monarch Migration Study

In 1998, some local butterfly clubs expressed concern about the release of live monarch butterflies into the environment. Their voiced concern was over the issue of whether or not farm grown monarch butterflies could migrate in the fall along with the wild population. Since we are also very concerned about the well-being of our butterflies after they are released, we invested thousands of dollars and countless hours into studying the issue of whether or not our butterflies would migrate in the fall. We were more than pleased with what we found. For a complete look at our research study, please click HERE.


As Seen On TV

Swallowtail Farms has been seen, heard, and read on a number of TV, radio, newspaper, and magazine programs. A short, but not comprehensive, list can be seen below:


  • Wall Street Journal
  • New York Times
  • Dallas Morning News
  • Fort Worth Star Telegram
  • Sacramento Business Journal
  • Sacramento Magazine
  • National Public Radio (NPR)
  • Public Radio International (PRI)
  • KCRA Television
  • KXTV Television
  • KMAX Television
  • The California Heartland Show