Monarch Butterfly Wing Replacement a Complete Success

By Jennifer Taylor, Animal Care Coordinator

Polly Marmaduke of Truro discovered a Monarch Butterfly was not flying – upon further investigation she discovered the wing was torn.  She brought the butterfly to Wild Care, not one of our typical patients, but we are always up for a challenge…

Thank you to MaryKay Fox for her donation of a deceased monarch butterfly replacement wing. I was able to replace the torn wing with the donor wing, I used Weldwood Contact Cement, then added powder to prevent stray glue.  The repair required 3 people and took 4 minutes, and went very well!  The butterfly was able to flap its wings normally. We allowed it to rest, and gave it a test flighted the following day.

Happy to report that the Monarch Butterfly wing repair was a complete success. The butterfly was released in a flower garden in Eastham. The butterfly flew up over the house, and then came back down in front of everyone, as if to say, THANK YOU for my wings.

Thank you Peter Dibble and Janine Orsenigo of Eastham, and to John of Orleans, for their donations of Nektar-Plus for the butterfly.   Thank you also, to Joy Fopiano of Orleans, who brought our butterfly this beautiful bouquet from her garden.

(Before and after photo. Note the powder on the butterfly’s wing in the 3rd photo. Powder is used to prevent stray glue.)