Beer for butterflies

Friends, beer and . . . butterflies? Is this how we do conservation now? Our scientists have worked hard to identify and study species at risk of extinction for decades, but they know it takes a village to pull them back from the brink. So, they got creative with beer and butterflies.

two people in butterfly beer tshirts standing in a brewery — Saving species never tasted so good! John Denny, head brewer, and Jaret Daniels enjoy collaborating to call attention to at-risk species. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Way back in 2016 (does it feel way back to you, too?) Jaret Daniels of our Daniels Lab talked with brewers at First Magnitude Brewing Co. to try something new. Could we brand an endangered species to one of their tasty beers, and throw a little party to call attention to an at-risk butterfly? Would anyone show up? Would they talk to us about conservation while sipping a beer?

Spoiler, it went well. People loved the Schaus Stout beer that was served on tap and our scientists and research students had a lot of fun talking to guests about the cool Schaus Swallowtail butterfly that was in danger of going extinct.

Could this work a second time? In the spring of 2017, we collaborated with the brewery again, this time on a Miami Blue Bock to call attention to the tiny, endangered Miami Blue that only lives in a small area at the very southern end of the state.

Not only was there a beer this time, Jaret Daniels and team partnered on a fun surprise. The logo for the beer had a secret. With the Libraries of Life app, people could use their smartphone to conjure a 3D augmented reality Miami blue butterfly on the logo.

That launch party was an even bigger success. Guests sipped beer, played with their augmented butterflies, met real caterpillars with research students and learned about a population of tiny butterflies clinging to a very small habitat right here in Florida.

Since then, we’ve featured more of Florida’s at-risk butterfly species in partnership with some pretty tasty brews with our community of conservationist beer-enthusiasts. The Monarch Milk Stout, celebrating the iconic butterfly, was on tap at Disney’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival for two years. And even during COVID closures, we were able to partner on Backyard Passion Fruit Sour to encourage everyone isolating at home to go out and explore their own backyard biodiversity.

small blue and brown butterfly sitting on a yellow flower

Miami Blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri). Florida Museum photo by Eric Zamora

dark butterfly with elaborate wing tips and yellow color bars

Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly (Papilio aristodemus). Florida Museum photo courtesy of the Daniels Lab

close up of caterpillar looking into camera

Schaus’ swallowtail caterpillar from the rearing lab. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

small black red and blue butterfly sitting on a white flower

Atala (Eumaus atala). Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Orange and black butterfly sitting on a cluster of pink flowers

Monarch (Danaus plexippus). Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

small grey butterfly with orange accents on its wings

Bartram’s scrub hairstreak. Photo courtesy of Bill Bouton

small brown butterfly sitting on a green plant

Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus). Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

While our scientists are excessively busy with research partners worldwide, it is especially gratifying to work with local partners on creative projects. Our long friendship with First Magnitude has helped us call attention to more than just at-risk butterflies. It gave us a space to invite our local community in to have casual conversations about big topics like climate change, conservation, and crowd-sourcing biodiversity data.

We enjoy our work and it is exciting to talk to people who are just as excited to learn about what we’re discovering and how we’re applying our knowledge to affecting change right here in Florida. Whether it’s showing cute caterpillars to kids, talking about habitat loss in the Keys, or sipping beer brewed with yeast from a butterfly’s fuzzy torso, we always wrap up our parties with a deep gratitude for the support our community shows us.

person using a smartphone app to show a virtual butterfly on a beer glass

Using the Libraries of Life app, the Miami Blue logo will reveal a 3D virtual butterfly on the t-shirt, glass, cans and more. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

event staff help guests make donations and purchases at a welcome table

Most of these events include several ways to financially support the butterfly research and conservation. Merchandises sales, donations, and per-beer sales all support the work to save at-risk butterflies. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

child looking at a next cage with caterpillars on display

Talking about at-risk butterflies can be more engaging if people can meet the species in person. Our lab team often brings some butterflies or caterpillars to off-site events. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

outreach staff talks with a guest a tabling event

The Daniels Lab team enjoyed talking to guests at the launch of the Migration Märzen in Sept. 2017. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

a line of people in the open bay doors of a brewery

Our partnership with First Magnitude meant we were able to bring our butterflies and our scientists into the casual brewery setting to talk about endangered species and conservation while enjoying beer! Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

museum staff showing a guest how to use a smartphone app

Hosting events in casual settings allow our Museum staff to meet a whole new audience that might not visit the Museum itself. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

child looking into a microscope at an event

The Daniels Lab brings butterflies and caterpillars, as well as interesting scientific material and merchandise, allowing us to connect with a variety of visitors about these at-risk butterfly species. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

researcher speaks to a reporter in front of a camera setup

Events like this also allowed local media to visit with scientists and guests to talk about how casual outreach events like this helped engage the public with big topics on a personal level. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

The Monarch Milk Stout was featured at Disney’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival for two years. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Wait – the yeast from a butterfly? Yes, scientists did carefully lift wild yeast from frosted elfin butterflies and brewers from First Magnitude used it in the brewing process to make the Frosted Elfin Pale Ale. It’s been done with plants before, so our team wondered if butterflies carried enough yeast to make this very unusual beer.

Partnering with local venues like First Magnitude Brewing offers unusual and casual settings to invite conversations with people who might not visit the Museum itself. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Why do we do this if there are so many types of beer already? We definitely like talking science over a beer at a social event, but the truth is that many of these butterfly species are on the brink due to climate change and habitat loss. And they don’t have a lot of time left. We feel the pressure to reverse the decline and we’re trying creative ways to bring this to the attention of Floridians, scientists, lawmakers, and activists.

Beer is a very approachable medium that helps us reach audiences that might never have heard about a tiny butterfly that is nearing extinction.

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Make a gift

Want to support our butterfly conservation work? Purchasing this beer or our butterfly merchandise will benefit the research and restoration projects, but you can also make a gift right now:

Make a gift

Saving species never tasted so good!

Glasses + T-shirts

You might remember some of these pretty logos for our at-risk butterfly beers. First Magnitude brews them periodically and we still have some of the glasses, t-shirts and other merch available through our Daniels Lab team.

Migration Marze custom beer mug. Photo courtesy First Magnitude Brewing Co.

Each beer created in this the collaboration between The Daniels Lab at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and First Magnitude has its own unique beer glass. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Person wearing a Atala Pale Ale T-Shirt. Black t-shirt with black, blue and red butterflies and "Atala Pale Ale" in white and red

The Atala Pale Ale custom t-shirt. Photo courtesy First Magnitude Brewing Co.

The Atala Pale Ale custom beer glass filled with the the pinked hued beer made with blueberries and pomegranates. Photo courtesy First Magnitude Brewing Co.

Long and short-sleeve t-shirts with the Florida White Florida Wit logo. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

The Florida White Florida Wit beer in its custom glass. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Guests check out the frosted elfin t-shirts available for sale during the beer launch. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Custom beer glass with the frosted elfin beer loco sitting next the a 4-pack of canned Frosted Elfin beer

First Magnitude Brewery’s Frosted Elfin New England-Style Session Pale Ale and custom beer glass. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Custom beer glass with the frosted elfin beer loco

The custom glass designed for the Frosted Elfin beer. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Butterfly Beer Logos

The Museum graphics team worked with the First Magnitude creative team to design attractive logos and merchandise for the butterfly beers. The eye-catching designs bring together the style of beer with the at-risk butterfly to draw attention to each species and its environment.