Sixteen years later the couple has opened Oregon's only year-round butterfly exhibit and onsite rearing lab in Buena Vista, just a few miles from Independence.  

Wings of Wonder includes a 2,400-square-foot controlled environment conservatory, a rearing lab, a garden courtyard designed with butterfly-shaped flower buds, a classroom for children's ecology activities, and a café and gift shop.  Even during the rainy months of Oregon's spring, its covered exhibit is kept at a toasty 80 degrees, and offers an earthy tropical aroma and the thriving, bright environment of over 100 tropical plant species, various birds -- including Orange Weavers, tanagers, and button quail -- tree frogs, and the featured attraction, butterflies.
Over the years, Bob has raised flightless silkmoths, Western Monarchs, Morning Cloaks, and others.  

"Each one is different," he said, "each one is a challenge."  

Even when Bob worked for Intel in Portland, he was often seen by his coworkers catching butterflies.

"There goes Heriford out there with his net," Bob recalls them saying.

The opening of Wings of Wonder has been a four-year-long project, including traveling all over the country and even to England to learn about exhibits and get ideas. The Herifords had to obtain a permit for each butterfly species they wanted to introduce into their exhibit.  It took them a year to get the required permits for the various North American butterflies and 18 months to get the permits for the exotic butterflies, which include butterflies from Africa, Indonesia, South America, and Southeast Asia. Signs such as "Inspected Containment Facility" with acronyms such as USDA, APHIS, and PPQ are inconspicuously posted throughout the Wings of Wonder facility, especially the immaculate laboratory.  

"They are very serious about this stuff," Bob said.  

Bob and Betty take their business seriously too. Visitors who are exiting exhibits must check in double mirrors to make sure no "hitchhikers" have decided to venture outside.

Raising butterflies is like being perpetual parents to newborns and toddlers.

"It's a 24/7 job," Bob said, "with upkeep all the time."

The Herifords even mix up their own "formula" of food or nectar for their wild-caught colony of Painted Ladies. Since August 2007, the Herifords have raised over 40,000 butterflies. In fact, in the Wings of Wonder lab, visitors can see the emergence of the butterflies as they leave their cocoons.

Occasionally, the Herifords will release butterflies indigenous to Oregon, such as the Western Monarch, at Wings of Wonder. These releases have an aesthetic and practical purpose. Visitors can witness the spectacular display of butterflies awakening to the freedom of flight and flowers while they propagate and increase Oregon's butterfly population. According to Bob and Betty, butterflies play a considerable role in pollination although not as much as bees. With the bee population declining, the butterfly's role is now more important than ever, notes Bob.

The Herifords are working on growing more host plants to provide a place for butterflies to lay their eggs and for the resulting larvae/caterpillars to feed. The host plants vary from butterfly to butterfly but some include milkweed, willow, and thistle.  

Admission to Wings of Wonder includes a tour of the lab and exhibit. An added bonus for visitors includes an adjoining room to the butterfly exhibit which includes Taiwanese Beauties (a type of rat snake), ribbon snakes, an anole lizard, a Honduran Milk Snake, Fire Belly toads, and a particularly large iguana.

Stay tuned to the Wings of Wonder website for information on which butterflies are currently flying in the exhibit and featured butterflies. Visitors can also purchase home rearing kits, educational sets, and other items. For directions, exhibit hours, and admission prices visit wingsofwonder.us or call (503) 838-0976.