Be a part of Friend of ElderDog Society's annual Butterfly Release held each August at ElderDog Canada headquarters in Lunenburg County, NS. The  butterflies are released as a way to remember and pay tribute to beloved companions who have passed on. You can purchase a live butterfly to release during our service of commemoration. If you are unable to attend, we will release your butterfly on your behalf. Butterflies can be ordered anytime throughout the year for release in August. The 2024 Butterfly Release will be held on August 17.

Orders should be received by July 31 each year in time for our annual event. Please provide the name of the dog being remembered at time of order.

We release Monarch and Painted Lady butterflies. The Monarch is under threat in Nova Scotia due to the application of herbicides and pesticides on their breeding grounds, long-harsh winters, and the removal of Milkweed which is essential to the growth and survival of the Monarch. By releasing Monarchs we are helping to restore the Monarch population. ElderDog's chemical-free butterfly gardens also support the Monarchs' growth.

The Painted Lady is commonly found in Nova Scotia around marshes, fields and roadsides. They live on and amongst a wide variety of host plants, though in particular they like to feed on nectar from Thistles, Asters and other composite plants.

Butterflies are purchased from Ontario and shipped to Nova Scotia in refrigerated boxes the night before the Release. The butterflies must be gradually warmed to ambient temperature to wake them. The butterfly species we release are native to Nova Scotia and will not be disoriented by or at risk in their new surroundings.

The butterflies and their flight are symbolic of the relatively short time we get to spend with our dogs. Their lives, like those of our dogs, will continue in various forms, long after we release their souls to nature.