Permits
Butterflies and moths fall under the heading of "live plant pests". Therefore, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection (APHIS) unit of the United States Department of Agriculture requires a permit (Form PPQ 526) in order to ship butterfly pupae across state lines. An application for this permit and much more information can be found at the link below:
Butterflies Unlimited will not ship butterfly and moth pupae outside of the state of Texas unless you have a valid USDA APHIS PPQ 526 on file with us. You must go through this process or you will be breaking a Federal Law. Since this permit governs the interstate shipping of live pupae, those exhibits and individuals within the state of Texas can purchase pupae from Butterflies Unlimited without obtaining a permit. After obtaining your permit (if outside of Texas) or if you are within the state of Texas, please see the section Setting Up Orders to purchase pupae from Butterflies Unlimited.
Many exhibits like to showcase the butterflies of their particular state. While this is certainly understandable since the purpose of most exhibits is to make the public more aware of the butterflies and wildlife in their own area, this practice sometimes limits the species that are made available to you. To ensure a wider variety of butterflies for your exhibit, we suggest you list a broader range of species when filling out your permit application.