Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly’s Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Interview With Expert

Some people volunteer at animal shelters, others save kittens who accidentally gambol onto the road, while the founder of Insect Art repairs the wings of butterflies!

The woman, who makes jewelry from real insects, is an expert at repairing butterfly wings, doing wing transplants, and making sure that these beautiful insects are restored to glory. This is a meticulous process that requires patience, dexterity, and a real passion for butterflies. Scroll down for Bored Panda’s exclusive in-depth interview with Katie VanBlaricum, the woman who was responsible for the butterfly’s successful wing transplant.

As unbelievably cool as it sounds, Insect Art’s founder isn’t the only person doing surgery on butterflies: be sure to read Bored Panda’s post about Romy McCloskey and how she repairs butterflies’ broken wings as well.

More info: InsectArtOnline.com | Facebook

The founder of Insect Art helped a Monarch butterfly fly again by repairing its wings

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Katie VanBlaricum, the founder of Insect Art from Topeka in Kansas, elaborated about the butterfly surgery in an interview with Bored Panda.

“It is not difficult for me to repair the wings since I work with dead insects for a living. It takes me less than 5 minutes to do the repair. You have to work fast, to avoid stressing the butterfly out any more than necessary.”

“I have a friend who works at a butterfly conservatory, and I have seen his “Frankenstein” butterflies flying around there, so I knew it was possible. I asked him for advice, as well as consulting the internet,” Katie explained.

The transplant was a success!

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

The butterfly was regaining its strength after the transplant…

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

“I have always been interested in insects and wildlife. My “Insect Art” business has been around for nearly 14 years now, and I make my living buying and selling insect specimens for art and science. They always come from sustainably farmed sources.”

“I did take some entomology classes in college, but my degree was in Anthropology. My favorite thing about insects is their diversity,” Katie went into detail. “Any shape or color or behavior you can dream up, there’s an insect for that! I am very much inspired by people like Steve Irwin whose passion it was to make the world love the underappreciated animals.”

…and later flew off into the sky!

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

“Lots of people think they don’t like “bugs”, but once they come to know and understand them, most people can find something to love about insects! I have volunteered for wildlife rehab for over ten years, and I’m a docent at our local zoo, so helping animals and helping people understand animals is a long term passion of mine.”

Katie also confirmed that she has, in fact, volunteered at animal shelters, as well as saved kittens who had wandered onto the road.

The founder of Insect Art has been helping butterflies for several years

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

“This one was deformed out of the chrysalis, so I did a wing transplant. Hoping he can fly tomorrow,” the creator of Insect Art posted on her Facebook page, detailing that the insect had problems flying from the moment it was born.

The butterfly surgeon got more than 34,000 likes, 32,000 shares, and 3,800 comments when she posted photos of how she helped the insect in need.

According to the insect doctor, the Monarch butterfly had regained its strength and was able to fly perfectly! Godspeed, little buddy!

The founder of Insect Art makes jewelry from insects by rehydrating them and making them look natural and lifelike. Each piece of jewelry she makes takes her “takes several days, and each end result is unique.”

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to help butterflies fly again

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Image credits: Insect Art

Monarch butterflies are also known as milkweed, the common tiger, the wanderer, and the black veined brown. I don’t know about you, dear Readers, but the common tiger and the wanderer might even sound better than ‘Monarch.’

These butterflies have a wingspan usually between 3.5 and 4 inches (8.9 to 10.2 centimeters). Monarchs are sometimes confused with Viceroys who are patterned and colored similarly but are far smaller and have an extra black stripe across each hindwing.

You can watch the full video here

During the autumn migration, Monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles southward. What’s also notable about these butterflies is that Monarchs have been bred on the International Space Station. You could even say that they’re out of this world.

What do you think about butterfly surgery? What’s the most beautiful species of butterfly in your opinion? Have you ever helped out an animal in need of help? I saved a snail from getting squashed this morning, for example. Let us know how you’re helping animals in the comments below.

This is what people had to say about the butterfly surgery

Zoo Asks For Woman’s Help In Repairing Butterfly's Wings, She Gives It A Transplant

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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