José Ramón Falcón Santana, founder of the Asociación Pro Monarca Flores que Vuelan, Telde (Gran Canaria) interview conducted by @loretosocorro
In the middle of a ravine, hundreds of monarch butterflies are born and grow, day after day. Ramón makes a hole for us today to show us how he raises them. As soon as you enter, in the reception of the greenhouse and next to the corner dedicated to the father of our host there are some butterflies giving silence. To one side, as a reminder of the past, we see an old pool filled with water for dogs and the structure of the ditches of what was once this place and the entire green valley of Teldense..
Ramón, here there was always an agricultural exploitation. How do you remember?
«The farm was run by my father; right here there were banana trees that were removed and this section was abandoned. The other part of the farm was where my father grew fruit trees and vegetables. I didn't start dedicating time to the field until I was forced to stop my usual activity due to injuries. So I started to help my father, in what he could »
What made you switch from farming to butterfly farming?
«I became a rancher, because butterflies are considered cattle, and it was because my ex, who lived in Fuerteventura; she told me about monarch butterflies. I was reluctant because I only thought of white butterflies, which are so harmful to vegetables. I wasn't even kidding about it, but it turned out that on one visit I came into contact with the butterflies and I was fascinated."
We enter the room where most of the butterflies live and the fluttering of dozens of them, in unison, welcomes us. It is a singular and unique sound: if you listen to it once you want it to continue to keep you warm.
There are those that fly and there are those that remain perched, almost camouflaged, between slices of oranges or fluttering among the flowers. Again the slow walk becomes silent.
"This is the delivery room, that's what I call it, -it is a wooden panel, ordered like the best of office corks but, instead of annotations in posits, there are cocoons of life, held by locks- Every day we replenish the delivery room. The chrysalises have a golden line which is distinctive and unique to these butterflies."
Every day? How many cocoons are produced?
"A butterfly can lay four hundred eggs, -shows us some leaves of milkweed plants-. All those white dots are eggs. They place them on the plants, which then serve as food for the young.
Ramón continues talking to us about caring for the bushes while a couple of butterflies are mating
“Those two that fly are in the middle of mating. The butterfly that is flying is male and the other one that is carried hanging down is female, if you notice, they do not flap their wings while mating. They can be up to sixteen hours like this»
How do you distinguish the gender of butterflies?
“You have to look at the wings. In the males the finest black lines are seen and without deformity, in addition to some spots on the hind wings. That's where they have the pheromones."
Why are the greenhouse rooms divided?
«To make sure that when they are born they have enough food and that the plants have time to recover. Even so, you have to watch out for pests that kill the caterpillars' food, such as cochineal. This just happened and I had to close the visits and dedicate myself to cleaning up the vegetation. The division into sections also makes it easier to do when there are visits again.”
In this section there are cocoons and butterflies and where are the worms?
«Next door, with the big plants. They usually lay their eggs there and if we see some around here we also take them out, so they don't lack food. It is a daily task.”
We follow the butterfly herder, as he likes to call himself, who shows us several cocoons placed, at will, throughout the adjoining area. We feel like we're in the middle of a Treasure hunt.
"When the worms are of a considerable size, they form the chrysalis and we have to look for them plant by plant and even in the mesh of the greenhouse and then we take them to the interior area."
Why do you move the worms to the interior area?
«To control that when they are butterflies and they mate they don't go crazy laying eggs. This would be terrible for the plants because they would eat all the leaves over and over again, preventing them from breathing. It would also harm the worms that were going to run out of food. The control must be thorough and constant.»
How do you take care of the bushes?
«Giving it the care that any plant requires, in addition to pruning it and covering it so that it becomes strong. Butterflies can smell this plant up to ten kilometers away and if they locate them they come directly to lay eggs: overcrowding kills them, as I already told you»
So is a bush full of eggs a sign of failure, rather than life for butterflies?
“If many worms hatch, they will run out of food. It happens that many people want to raise butterflies, and they want to do it quickly, but this takes time; in the end, people end up with several plants at home, but all peeled and without success in breeding»
Do you sell the plants?
"Only if we don't need them to feed the worms and while the ones we have on land in the greenhouse are being rehabilitated."
You will have lived many curious and endearing moments with the visits. It shows when reading the comments of your followers on Instagram that you have made many people enjoy.
«People who have been here send me the videos they made and I have been amazed at the beauty they capture with mobiles. Every day is different and special. For example: I remember how much a blind boy enjoyed it; I explained to him and then I brought him closer to the plants and he felt them. The same with the worms… Before coming they made a foam rubber butterfly for him to get an idea of the shape of butterflies. He was excited »
As he speaks, Ramón is crowned, like César, by several butterflies perched on his head and face.
“This is because I am relaxed and they notice it. Butterflies move by energies. Now I am remembering a day that coincided when a visitor came in, a neighbor put on a song and it was heard here; coincidentally it was The Waltz of the Butterflies. That moment of walking in here and seeing how they took flight, to the sound of the waltz, was talked about for a long time.»
More moments...
«Relatives have told me, after a funeral, some things that are moving, like the case of a butterfly that was perching on each of the relatives of the deceased. They also told me that a butterfly did not want to leave the house of the deceased, although the daughter opened the doors and they took it out, but the butterfly came back again and again and stayed like that for ten to twelve days, inside the house. .»
Do people get excited when they come to see the butterflies?
«Here you have to get emotional, there are people who cry and that's fine, you have to let go and feel. The transformation from caterpillars to butterflies helps to understand that life is ephemeral and that there is no need to be afraid of changes, of death…”
Do monarch butterflies have many predators?
“Monarch butterflies are brightly colored and in the wild that means they are dangerous and they are poisonous so other animals avoid eating them. The plants where they feed and on which they lay their eggs have treat, which is also poisonous, in fact, the Amazonian Indians use this poison."
How long have you been raising butterflies?
«I started as a hobby on the roof of my house, almost seven years ago: one day they gave me a plant with a few worms and I fell in love. I cried like a child when I began to see the butterflies being born and, I became so fond of it, that suddenly I saw myself with two hundred something plants. And I had a huge desire for everyone to know this; for that reason the association arose.”
Tell us about the visits to the farm.
“Now they are suspended because we had a plague and we are in the process of recovering the plants. I calculate that by mid-spring we will be able to receive visitors again, which are usually small groups of family and friends. People who want to live and share this experience in privacy. We will also receive people who want to come in bubble groups, such as schoolchildren.
When we receive visits again we will publish it on networks, with the schedules and the contact to make the appointment.
Meanwhile, can butterflies be bought loose?
The butterflies, if they are to be released in solidarity acts or that are requested for posthumous events, we give them away. There are those who call because they want to buy them for other events such as weddings, birthdays and that's fine because whoever releases them gives them a chance to fly: it frees them. We also sell the chrysalises as gifts: you can see the transformation of the cocoon into a butterfly and that is something that is never forgotten.
While the butterflies continue to move with their sometimes altered and nervous wingbeats -if they are males-, we observe how they go to the drinking fountains.
»They have water with panela, apart from sliced oranges, they also enjoy tasting the flowers, especially the mauve and blue ones.»
Is there butterfly season?
"Not here. They lay eggs all year round as the climate in this part of the island helps. The only thing is that they have healthy plants.”
How long does it take for the egg to turn into a butterfly?
"The egg becomes a worm in two or three days, then it takes eight to nine days to become a chrysalis... I calculate that a lunar cycle is how long the total process lasts until a butterfly is born."
How is the moment when they transform from a worm to a chrysalis?
«The chrysalis is formed in a seeing and not seeing. Especially in the mornings, which is when they are most active. In all the visits there are always people who have observed it and do not believe it.
First they are hung, folded and then fully stretched, at which point the skin is opened at the back and they are rolled up in rotations, until finally they are wrapped up like chrysalises.”
While Ramón is collecting cocoons, we notice that their color tones are slightly different. Why is this Ramón?
«The chrysalis has a brighter tone if it is freshly made. It is important to look closely for about two days before touching it. From then on -when it is already opaque-, they can be grabbed and changed places, which is when we take them to the delivery room».
The butterfly shepherd has collaborators: other shepherds who, like him, come day by day to take care of the environment. Ramón's namesake is a man who cares and lovingly cares for the farm, so that the butterflies continue to inhabit this entire space and provide those moments of intimacy.
Ramon - José Ramón's assistant– At my age, I did not expect something so good, coming here motivates me to get up every morning.
«He comes every day – comments Ramón – and works more than anyone else and also sings and runs the farm from within. He was already working with my father and for me he is an open book. He teaches me and on top of that he continually thanks me because he says that being here, active and with the butterflies, gives him life».
Ramón Falcón has created a world where before there was nothing and it is not just any place but a sanctuary for monarch butterflies, which are beauty but also magic. “Flying Flowers” is a place where you want to believe that everything can be better and that dreams come true, with a little perseverance and a lot of work.
Thanks to Ramón and the butterfly herders for giving us the sweet flutter that excites and seduces adults and children.
