USDA Enviornmental Release Decision Chart or Butterfly Matrix.

1. USDA Plant Pest Permits:
An Introduction to ePermits
and the 526 permit
Prepared for the Association For
Butterflies
October 1-4, 2012

2. Wayne Wehling, PhD
Senior Entomologist, USDA/APHIS
Plant Protection and Quarantine
Pest Permit Branch, Unit 133
4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737
Phone 301-851-2336
Fax 301-734-8700
Wayne.F.Wehling@APHIS.USDA.GOV

3. This portion of the lesson plan covers how to read the Butterfly
Environmental Release Decision Chart. The chart can be found
on the web and in the screen shots near the end of this
presentation. There are 15 screens/slides in this presentation.

4. Take a look at the 6 web screen shots that follow. These will
provide you with information on the 9 butterfly species that
can be considered for environmental release. The last one will
show you where the Butterfly Environmental Release Decision
Chart can be found on the web.
Keep in mind that the USDA does not require plant pest permits
to release butterflies and moths that occur naturally in your
state AND have been raised from stock obtained from the
environment in your state. You must be careful to follow all
state and local regulations/requirements. Contact information
for your state officials can be found at the following website:
http://nationalplantboard.org/member/index.html

6. Scrolling to the middle
of this screen you will
find access to more
information about
butterfly permitting and
the Butterfly Decision
Matrix

8. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/organism/butterflies_moths.shtml

10. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/organism/butterflies_moths.shtml

11. On the web the chart
consists of two pages. Be
sure to notice any
asterisks that go with any
yes’

12. Page two of the chart. The
important foot notes
explaining the asterisks can
be found here.

13. The Butterfly Environmental Release Decision Chart is a matrix
of the 9 butterflies allowed for release across the top of the chart
and the 50 states plus territories listed down the left column.
To determine if a butterfly is allowed for release in any state or
territory find the destination in the left column and follow the row
across noting the yes and no responses for each of the 9 species.
If there are any asterisks for any yes’ make note of those. For any
“No” answer the butterfly listed at the top of the column cannot
be released into the environment in that destination state. If the
answer is a “Yes” and there are no asterisks then the butterfly
listed at the top of the column can be released into the
environment in that destination state.
When one or more asterisks are present check the foot note.

14. For permitting a butterfly for environmental release to a particular
destination state the destination and origination state must have
a yes in that column. However exceptions are made on a
case-by-case basis. For example mourning cloak butterflies
cannot be released in Florida but producers in northern Florida,
where this butterfly occurs naturally, can raise them for release
outside of Florida under permit.

15. When one or more asterisks are present check the foot note.
The asterisks apply only to the monarch and the zebra longwing
columns. The intent is to prevent the monarch butterfly from
being moved across the continental divide and released into
the environment on the opposite side. For the zebra longwing
the intent is to keep the zebra longwing isolated to one of two
subspecies clusters. The zebra longwing is a different subspecies
in Florida than it is in Texas.