No Butterfly Releases
Throw Rice, Not Butterflies at Weddings 
No Butterfly Releases
Throw Rice, Not Butterflies at Weddings
“The people who release butterflies (into the wild) are well-meaning but ignorant,” Jeffrey Glassberg, president of the North American Butterfly Association has said. “This is environmental terrorism and they’re polluting the environment.” The Department of Environmental Conservation requires a permit to release wildlife and this includes butterflies. Releasing butterflies at a wedding seems like a nice thing to do but wildlife biologists warn that there are risks: introducing captive butterflies into the wild can spark new diseases and parasites, they can interbreed with native butterflies, mixing gene pools and disrupting butterfly migration patterns. Glassberg went on to say, “The way we’re going to stop this is not by passing laws but by getting the word out. Most brides don’t want to start their marriage with a controversy.” Reprinted from the Times-Union, 6/99
published May/June 2000 Newsletter
Last Updated 5/23/00
