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Butterfly fairyland
Providing safe refuge for monarchs
is also a means of therapy
for women and children
Springs Romano grew up with a fascination for butterflies. "I grew up on a large area of land with lots of gardens, vineyards and plants. The butterflies were my playmates," she said. "I believed they were magical fairies."
Butterfly Flight
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"The pulelehua (the Hawaiian word for butterfly) has taught me that if we are persistent, the day will come when we can stop, rest and reflect and, when the time is right, emerge and let our spirit fly free into new beginnings. After all, what could be a better model for transformation than the enchanted butterfly?"
With this much inspiration at stake, she went into action in 1999, after she learned of the near extinction of the monarch butterfly.
"They were disappearing right before our eyes, and few noticed," she said. "Only two out of every 100 eggs will survive to become a butterfly."
Romano raises butterflies on her Waimanalo farm and at her Kaneohe townhouse. Many of them can be seen at Kahala Mall as part of its "Nouveau: Every Thing Spring" exhibition through Sunday. Romano views the display as an opportunity to educate the public about the monarch's plight.
Pesticides and predators -- insects, birds, spiders reptiles and rodents -- all put the monarch at risk, Romano said. And as urbanization increases, crown flowers (the monarch's host plant) diminish, leaving the caterpillars with nothing to eat.
To protect the species, Romano collects eggs in a sterile, safe environment. "The structure is similar to a greenhouse. It is labor-intensive to keep everything at the right humidity, free of insects with just enough light. Butterflies cannot thrive anymore without this caretaking intervention," she said. "They must be gathered during all stages of their growth and kept alive by trained caregivers."
Romano is willing to help people who share her interest. She suggests they consider bringing monarchs into their homes for protection, feeding them cuttings and releasing them later into the back yard or garden.
Romano found that her interest in the butterflies dovetailed with the Wisdom of Women Institute, a nonprofit center that she founded with fellow counselor Susan Denham in 1992, to assist women and girls in transition.
Through the Pululehua Project, volunteers plant butterfly gardens where they hand-raise baby caterpillars. Later, most of the butterflies are released, but some are sold for use in ceremonies such as weddings. "Once they emerge as butterflies, 20 percent are sold for release as a fund-raiser," Romano said.
Counselors Springs Romano, left, and Susan Denham enjoy the Fairy Garden at Romano's home.
"We started a women's outreach program that focused on issues specific to women and girls ... their relationships, lives, challenges and disappointments. We would gather and create a community environment anywhere we could," she said.
The setting was always outdoors. "We found that being in a natural environment made it easier for the group to bond, share stories and heal deep issues."
At first the Pululehua Project seemed a good way to help the butterflies while providing funds to help the women start over.
"We started out thinking it was us helping them," Denham said, "but it didn't take long to figure out that the butterflies were the ones teaching us about how to transform our lives.
"We refer to the therapeutic program as 'butterfly therapy,' and closely follow the time line and stages of the butterfly life cycle," she said. "We create opportunities for women and girls to heal and transform their troubled relationships and unfulfilled dreams and purpose. This is done through counseling, coaching and participation in the butterfly project."
Both the crown flower and butterfly have made their mark on local history. The lavender crown flower was Queen Liliuokalani's favorite flower, according to Pattye Kealohalani Wright, kumu hula of Na Puakea O Ko'olaupoko of Kailua.
"A gorgeous Hawaiian quilt in the crown flower design was made for her and, I believe, is still on her bed at Washington Place. The crown flower -- or kalaunu, the Hawaiianization of the English word 'crown' -- was named so because the center looks like a royal crown, especially if the outer petals are removed," Wright said.
On a trip to England to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, Liliuokalani purchased a butterfly hair ornament made of silver and diamonds with wings set on springs so they fluttered, Wright said. The hairpiece is displayed at Iolani Palace.
Monarch butterflies were first seen in Hawaii in the 1840s. They became important pollinators, feeding on nectar sucked from flowers and transferring pollen from one flower to another.
"We have always had a love affair with the pulelehua," Romano said. "From the cave drawings of the Bronze Age to today's creation of nearly a hundred live butterfly exhibits around the world, it is quite evident that humans love butterflies. In many societies it is felt that when we die, we become butterflies with wings to guide us into heaven. In some languages the word for 'soul' and 'butterfly' is the same," she said.
"Who knows ... maybe somewhere deep down inside myself, I still believe in fairies."
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