Monarch Butterfly Receives Wing Transplant at Long Island Nature Center

A Delicate Procedure

• 🦋 A monarch butterfly with a broken wing, unable to fly, was brought to the Sweetbriar Nature Center.
• 💡 Janine Bendixon, the center's director of wildlife rehabilitation, conceived a unique solution: a wing transplant.

The Wing Transplant Process

• 🔍 Bendixon found a deceased monarch butterfly with intact wings from within the center's vivarium.
• 🛠️ Using contact cement and corn starch, she meticulously attached the donor wing to the injured butterfly in a 5-minute procedure.
• ✅ The process was intricate, requiring a delicate touch to avoid damaging the fragile butterfly.

Success and Impact

• ✨ The transplant was successful, allowing the butterfly to fly again, with Bendixon noting there is no blood flow or nerve receptors in the bottom portion of the wing.
• 🌍 This groundbreaking procedure, the first of its kind for Bendixon, has garnered international attention, with calls from Minnesota and Costa Rica.
• 📣 The center aims to inspire hope and start a movement, highlighting the importance of conservation for near-endangered monarch butterflies.
• ✈️ With its borrowed wing, the monarch is now on its migration toward Mexico, given a second chance at life.