‘A universal connection’: New business takes flight with real butterfly art

ST. GEORGE —A young entrepreneur is fluttering into business ownership by showcasing real butterflies in framed art. 

Ashlin Gubler, owner of Butterfly Effect Studio, stands next to a wall of her work, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Ashlin Gubler, owner of Butterfly Effect Studio, stands next to a wall of her work, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“So many people have deep, spiritual connections to butterflies,” said Ashlin Gubler, owner of Butterfly Effect Studio. “It’s a universal connection. They’re special.”

Gubler said her love for butterflies began when she visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York four years ago. As she strolled through the Butterfly Biosphere — a garden center with live butterflies — she felt instantly connected and in awe of their beauty. 

“It was the most amazing experience ever,” Gubler said. “Everyone was trying to get the butterflies to land on them, but they were all attracted to me. I had them sitting on my head and all over me.”

At end of the Biosphere experience, she browsed wall after wall of preserved butterflies on display and couldn’t get enough. When she returned home, she browsed online for a butterfly art piece to commemorate her trip. When she couldn’t find what she wanted, she started to research how to make them. By watching videos and reading articles, she taught herself the process of butterfly preservation.

Real butterflies are seen pinned to a board in preparation for artwork, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Real butterflies pinned to a board in preparation for artwork, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

In order to replenish funds spent on her own butterfly collection, she began to sell her work on Instagram. As people told her spiritual stories relating to butterflies, she fell in love with the creation and the community she was building.

The business name — Butterfly Effect Studio — is based on the philosophical theory that a small experience can create major changes across the world.

“Basically, with the butterfly effect, a butterfly flapping its wings can create a tornado on the other side of the world,” she said. “It’s a reminder that the things you do can have huge consequences. It’s a reminder to always act out of love and kindness, and that’s what the brand is.”

But where do the butterflies come from?

All of the butterflies used by Butterfly Effect Studio live a full life and die naturally. Gubler said she purchases butterflies from butterfly gardens, biospheres and conservatories all over the world and works closely with entomologists.

“The entomology community calls it ‘giving them a second life,’” she said about the repurposed butterflies.

When the butterflies die, Gubler said they naturally close up. Placed flat inside a piece of paper for shipping, Gubler “rehydrates” them and shapes them into the position she wants, then pins them for future use.

Repurposed butterfly wings are seen inside "Fairy Jars" in St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Repurposed butterfly wings are seen inside “Fairy Jars” in St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“They dry and they’re kind of like dried flowers,” she said. “They’ll just stay in that position forever and they won’t deteriorate. You can find collections from hundreds of years ago and they look exactly the same.”

She never wastes butterflies that get broken in shipping, and instead, repurposes the wings into “Fairy Jars,” which include ladybugs, pressed flowers and more.

“If I’m out in nature and I see something that died naturally, I pick it up, take it home,” Gubler said. “I go to my cabin and pick flowers, and some of that is what you’ll see in those jars. Just a fun way to re-use things.”

Gubler sells her butterflies through her website and Instagram and is in the process of renovating a brick-and-mortar shop in St. George.

The shop, which will be named Agave Jones, shares a parking lot with Station 2 Bar by Zion Brewery. Gubler said the shop has been in her family for generations and was once her great-grandfather’s barbershop. While there are still a few projects left to be completed before the official grand opening, she hopes to have it open to the public in the next few months.

“As a kid, I always wanted to do something in here, but I always thought I’d sell cupcakes or whatever,” she said. “It was so funny to have that dream come true in a little bit of a different way. It’s exciting.”

The inside of Agave Jones, a shop that will open in the next few months, is pictured, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The inside of Agave Jones, a shop that will open in the next few months, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Inside the shop, Gubler will feature her signature butterfly art along with a vintage clothing line. Many of the pieces come from her own personal vintage collection she’s built over the years through thrift shopping and other second-hand stores.

“The shop will have vintage clothing, new clothing, lots of local artists and art prints, jewelry, all kind of things from people in my life who are artists and creators,” she said. “It’s just going to be a fun, youthful place in town for people to come and be creative, experience new things, and hopefully we’ll have lots of fun community events happening and make new connections.”

Although the shop isn’t officially open, there will be a Valentine’s Day Pop-Up event Feb. 11-14, which will feature Gubler’s collections along with other local artisans. See the event information below.

“I’m hoping that the shop will provide me with resources to start giving back and holding community events,” Gubler said. “It’s all about building community for me. There aren’t a ton of youthful communities in town outside of the college, and I want to change that.”

To see available work by Butterfly Effect Studio, visit their website or find them on Instagram.

Event details

  • What: Local St. George Artisans Valentines Day Pop-Up Shop
  • When: Tuesday, Feb. 11 through Feb. 14
  • Where: Agave Jones, 21 E 150 N in St. George 
  • Admission: Free
  • For more information, visit the event page

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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