Idlewild Butterfly Farm

What Idlewild Butterfly Farm does

Idlewild Butterfly Farm is a USDA-certified butterfly and moth farm and insectarium operating under parent company Entomology Solutions, LLC, founded by Blair Leano Helvey in Louisville, Kentucky in 2015 (the parent entity was established in 2009). The company combines a USDA-certified containment facility with a newly renovated insect rearing lab, an outdoor seasonal flight house, and pollinator gardens to breed disease-free butterflies and moths native to the Eastern United States, which it supplies to zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories across the country. Louisville Zoo is identified as a flagship exhibitor customer, and the company's domain expertise is anchored by its founder's B.S. in Agriculture with an emphasis in Entomology from the University of Kentucky and prior work as an insect physiology lab technician.

The product surface spans B2B exhibit supply, B2C e-commerce (Shopify storefront), in-person educational experiences, and a physical retail gift shop. B2B revenue comes from professionally reared, disease-free butterflies for live exhibits, with the company offering exhibit design consultation. B2C offerings include Green Lacewing beneficial insects for biocontrol ($12.99 for 1,000 eggs; $32.99 for 400 larvae), seasonal butterfly life cycle kits, butterfly releases for weddings, funerals, memorials, and birthdays (minimum 2 dozen for shipping with a 4-week lead time), Insectarium tours at $15 per person, butterfly pinning workshops at $65 per person, and field trips capped at 35 participants. The gift shop in a historic 19th-century Shelby Park building carries butterfly jewelry, preserved specimens, plants, books, and pollinator-supporting goods. Community programming includes the annual Moth Ball, arachnid-themed Halloween events, Monarch migration releases, and presence at Bernheim Forest Bugfest and Louisville Zoo Flutterfest.

The business runs on a small team of 1–10 employees with no disclosed outside investment, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no patent portfolio. Distribution combines a Shopify e-commerce site, a single Louisville showroom open Thursday–Saturday, and direct enterprise outreach via phone or contact form to institutional exhibitors. Marketing relies on email newsletter, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), community events, and on-site content marketing. No revenue, ARR, or growth rate is publicly disclosed.

Name

Idlewild Butterfly Farm

Legal name

Entomology Solutions, LLC

Website

https://idlewildbutterflyfarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Idlewild Butterfly Farm is a USDA-certified Louisville-based butterfly and moth farm that breeds Eastern U.S. species for zoos and conservatories, sells beneficial insects and life-cycle kits online, and operates an Insectarium, gift shop, and seasonal flight house for visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insect Rearing & Educational Services

NAICS

Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Beneficial Insects (Predators & Parasitoids) (AFABAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organic Mosquito/Tick/Flea Control (Eco Yard Programs) (HSAMALAG)

Keywords

• Live butterfly exhibits
• Beneficial insects supply
• Butterfly release services
• Insectarium educational tours
• Entomological workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibit Butterfly Supply: Supplying professionally reared, disease-free butterflies to exhibits at zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories across the United States. Focuses on Eastern United States native species.
2. Butterfly Releases: Selling butterflies for release at special events including weddings, funerals, memorials, and birthdays. Minimum 2 dozen for shipped orders, smaller quantities available for in-store pickup.
3. Beneficial Insects: Selling beneficial predator insects such as Green Lacewings for pest control in gardens and commercial growing operations, supporting biocontrol alternatives to pesticides.
4. Butterfly Life Cycle Kits: Selling chrysalis adoptions and complete metamorphosis kits for home education. Available seasonally (late May through September).
5. Educational Workshops: Workshops including Butterfly Pinning Workshop at $65, facility tours at $15, and seasonal art classes, taxidermy workshops, pressing flowers, and container gardening.
6. Gift Shop Retail: Boutique retail offering butterfly jewelry, preserved insect specimens, garden supplies, home goods, books, toys, seasonal seeds, and native/annual potted plants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Idlewild Butterfly Farm is a USDA-certified butterfly and moth farm and insectarium that breeds native Eastern United States butterflies and supplies them to zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories for live exhibits. The company also operates a public insectarium with guided facility tours, hands-on workshops (e.g., butterfly pinning, taxidermy), field trips, butterfly releases for events, a retail gift shop, and a Shopify storefront selling beneficial insects, life cycle kits, and gift items.

Product overview

Idlewild Butterfly Farm & Insectarium is a USDA-certified butterfly and moth farm operating under Entomology Solutions, LLC., founded in 2015 by Blair Leano Helvey. The company operates as a unified multi-offering business combining live butterfly/moth breeding for exhibits (supplying zoos and conservatories nationwide), in-person visitor experiences (Insectarium Tours, Field Trips, Workshops & Classes, Community Events like The Moth Ball), e-commerce products (Insect Kits, Butterfly Pinning Workshop, Green Lacewings, Mosquito Barrier), and a retail Gift Shop. The product portfolio spans B2B exhibitor supply, B2C educational experiences, and physical goods, all centered on arthropod education and conservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zoo & Conservatory Exhibit Butterfly Supply Professionally reared, disease-free butterflies and moths native to the Eastern United States supplied to zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories for live exhibits, with consultation on exhibit design.
• Insectarium Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• Butterflies supplied to exhibits across the United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Entomology Solutions, LLCcoreOthersParent company of Idlewild Butterfly Farm, founded by Leano Helvey in 2009. Specializes in helping commercial growers, greenhouses, and nurseries implement biological pest control as an alternative to chemical insecticides. Provides the business infrastructure and regulatory foundation for Idlewild operations.
• Louisville ZoocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIdlewild supplies butterflies and moth species for live exhibits at the Louisville Zoo. This is one of their primary exhibitor customers mentioned in their About Us page, representing their core B2B exhibit supply business.
• Zoos and Botanical Gardens (Exhibitor Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIdlewild supplies professionally reared, disease-free butterflies for live exhibits at zoos, botanical gardens, and conservatories across the United States. Their entomologists have years of experience consulting on exhibit design and can create stunning packages tailored to each institution's space.
• University of KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntomology experts from the University of Kentucky lead insect taxidermy workshops at Idlewild. Founder Blair Leano Helvey received her B.S. in Agriculture with emphasis in Entomology from the University of Kentucky and worked as an insect physiology lab technician there.
• Bernheim ForestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIdlewild participates in Bernheim Forest Bugfest community event, bringing living specimens and educational information to curious visitors. Part of their community outreach and local event presence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Insect Lore: Long-running U.S. company selling butterfly life-cycle kits, caterpillars, and educational insect products via e-commerce — directly comparable to Idlewild's butterfly kit and chrysalis adoption offerings.
• Shady Oak Butterfly Farm: Florida-based butterfly farm selling butterflies for releases, events, and exhibits — closely overlapping Idlewild's event-release and B2B exhibitor supply revenue lines.
• Magic Wings Butterfly House: Massachusetts indoor butterfly conservatory and gift shop offering visitor experiences and education — mirrors Idlewild's Insectarium tour, gift shop, and educational workshop model.
• Butterfly Pavilion: Colorado-based invertebrate zoo and butterfly exhibit with a retail shop and educational programming — comparable as a publicly accessible butterfly-centered visitor destination.
• Arbico Organics: Arizona-based supplier of beneficial insects, biological pest controls, and organic gardening products — directly comparable to Idlewild's Green Lacewing and pollinator-friendly pest management offerings.
• Rincon-Vitova Insectaries: California-based commercial producer of beneficial insects for biocontrol — competes with Idlewild in supplying lacewings and other predators to growers and gardeners.
• Beneficial Insectary: California beneficial-insect producer offering lacewings, predatory mites, and other biocontrol agents — directly comparable to Idlewild's beneficial-insect commercial line.

Broad incumbents

• Gardens Alive!: Long-established catalog/online retailer of organic gardening supplies and biological pest controls — overlaps Idlewild's eco-friendly pest management and pollinator-garden product positioning.

Emerging players

• Monarch Watch: University of Kansas-based monarch conservation, education, and tagging program — adjacent to Idlewild's Monarch migration release events and pollinator education focus.

Regional players

• Costa Rica Entomological Supply: Central American butterfly farm exporting to U.S. exhibits — competes with Idlewild in the B2B live-butterfly supply market from a different (tropical) geography and species focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/idlewildbutterflyfarm
• Instagraminstagram.com/idlewildbutterflyfarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entomology-solutions-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Idlewild Butterfly Farm