South Florida is full of social butterflies, but tonight, we’re talking about the real deal. One local family is turning a backyard bug fascination into a full-blown business. Deco is flying high with Miami’s own “butterfly whisperer.” Butterflies are the Kardashians of the insect world. They’re pretty, constantly changing, and attract a lot of attention. Kiki Sylvain is fascinated with them. She’s Miami’s very own “butterfly whisperer.” Kiki Sylvain: “So butterfly whisperer is one of my titles, but the actual terminology is lepidopterist. I am a butterfly breeder and I am a butterfly artist as well.” She runs “S.K. Butterflies.” It’s a family business that wants the world to bug out! Kiki Sylvain: “This space is a 40-foot enclosure where we breed about 12 different species of native butterflies. So we sell the caterpillars and the chrysalis to people that want to introduce this to either their garden space or to museums or schools.” Kiki also makes some serious bug bling. When a butterfly goes to the great garden in the sky, she turns their delicate wings into stunning, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Kiki Sylvain: “One of my favorite ways to preserve the butterfly wings’ beauty is to actually just take a portion of my favorite piece or whatever is still in good condition and put a magnifying glass on top to accentuate every detail.” And when tragedy strikes, she’s the butterfly [emergency room.] Kiki Sylvain: “This is the case of a male monarch with a completely broken right forewing. I found a butterfly on the floor with a broken wing. I carefully repaired it with my X-Acto knife, gave her a new transplant, and she was able to fly again.” If you think all butterflies are the same – guess again. They’ve got big personalities—Kiki’s favorite: The green malachite. Kiki Sylvain: “She doesn’t fly around a lot. Like I’m staring at two right now. They just chill. They just like to eat bananas and chill.” Eat bananas and chill? I think I just found my new spirit animal. Kiki Sylvain: “I think the life cycle that they go through, the changes that they go through, definitely the transformation. They transform just like I feel like humans evolve.” FOR MORE INFO:SK ButterfliesWebsiteInstagram Page ...read more read less