The Pilots contain three coontie palms, one in the front-yard native-plant landscape and two within the backyard food forest. In the summer of 2023, the Pilots’ curator, pointed out a female Atala butterfly laying eggs on one of the food forest coonties. Over the next weeks, Holly documented the transformation of ravenous caterpillars into the chrysalis stage and their emergence as magnificent butterflies. With perfect timing, Holly captured one Atala literally emerging from its cocoon.
In the summer of 2023, the RiA Magazine article, Atala Butterflies Return from Near Extinction, published with research on the demise and return of the Atala butterfly; an HEI photo gallery of the same name showcases the snippet story in visual format.
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