Your caterpillars have arrived and you're ready to start your butterfly raising project! Here are some important things to keep in mind as you are observing your caterpillars:. If you have any questions about your project, please reach out to your Bu
Raising butterflies is an exciting experience for the whole family. When planning your project there are a few things you should keep in mind. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you have the BEST Butterfly-Raising Experience possible:.
Please click HERE for your Butterfly Kit Instructions.
Sometimes, a chrysalis may fall from the lid of the cup. If your chrysalis fell to the bottom of the cup, follow these next steps:. The butterfly will emerge there safely and then will climb up the wall of the habitat to hang, stretch, and dry its wi
When should you order your caterpillars?. (Please keep in mind, once your caterpillars arrive the project takes approximately 3 weeks). Caterpillars and butterflies are creatures that thrive in warmer temperatures. The best time to complete the proje
The best time of year to raise butterflies will vary depending on your location!. Remember, the project takes around three weeks, so please anticipate what the temperatures will be like at the end of your project when it's time to release your butter
Please do not open your Cup of Caterpillars™ before your caterpillars have become chrysalides. If you remove the lid while they are caterpillars you can introduce harmful bacteria to the cup.
When you purchase a butterfly growing kit from Insect Lore, you are raising Painted Lady Butterflies (vanessa cardui).
Please keep the cup at room temperature, and away from any vents or windows.
It's best to complete this project inside in a climate controlled environment. Heat, cold, and inclement weather can impact the caterpillar's growth and development.
The entire project takes around three weeks, but what will you witness during that time? In this article we'll break down each life cycle stage, and what you can expect. Butterflies go through three life cycle stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and
If your cup only contains 3 or 4 caterpillars, please reach out to [email protected] within three days of receiving your order, with your order number and a photo of your cup.
It's best to release your butterflies after observing them for a few days. Once they've been in the habitat around a week, they will begin to mate and lay eggs. Female painted ladies can lay up to 300 eggs and it makes the habitat challenging to clea
Adult butterflies enjoy an entirely liquid diet!. They use their proboscis to drink the nectar of flowers, or in the case of your Painted Ladies, homemade nectar and the juices of fruits.
Insect Lore has several live butterfly kits you can choose from for you and your family's butterfly-raising experience. But which kit is right for you? Here is a breakdown of each live kit we carry and what makes each of them unique. Butterfly Garden
Butterflies do best in warm, sunny weather between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, so we recommend you not begin your butterfly project until the weather is consistently nice. However, we know that Mother Nature sometimes can surprise us. If it is snow
Butterflies do best when released on warm sunny days below 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so we recommend you not begin your butterfly project until the weather is consistently nice. However, we know that Mother Nature sometimes can surprise us. If it is rai
If a sugar packet comes with your butterfly growing kit, you may be wondering how much sugar is in each packet. Each packet contains 1 teaspoon of sugar. To make butterfly nectar, thoroughly mix two teaspoons (or two packets) with 1/4 cup of water, t
It’s common for your caterpillars to be inactive when they arrive.
After a few days of observing your chrysalides, you might notice that they are changing color. The chrysalides start out as a light tan color with golden points. As the butterfly gets closer to emerging, the chrysalis will darken significantly, becom
The chrysalis stage is a quiet but exciting time during your butterfly raising experience. Inside the chrysalis the caterpillar is turning to liquid and rearranging itself to form a butterfly. During this delicate time, be sure not to handle the cup
For the health and safety of your caterpillars, it's important to be very gentle while they are developing in their cup. Remember, this is first and foremost an observational project. If the cup is excessively carried, shaken, or otherwise disturbed,
Please DO NOT mist your chrysalides; this is not necessary.
No, your caterpillars are not shipped frozen. The butterfly life cycle does not stop or slow down during transit; however, Insect Lore's ingenious, proprietary shipping method ensures that you receive your caterpillars quickly - and that your butterf
Your caterpillars have everything they need right in the cup when they arrive. They will spend the next 7-10 days eating and growing in the closed environment of the cup. That means you do not need to immediately set up your habitat. You can set up t
You cannot slow the growth of your caterpillars. When they arrive they will already be in the process of growing and changing. When you order your insects, especially as a gift, please keep in mind that these are growing beings, and order them as clo
While you're observing your butterflies in the habitat, you might wonder what normal butterfly behavior looks like. You may observe them drinking nectar, climbing the walls of the habitat, and fluttering around briefly. Don't be alarmed if your butte
When your caterpillars arrive in their cup, you might wonder if they need a drink! Don't worry, your caterpillars have all the moisture they need and you do not need to provide water for them. Remember to keep your cup of caterpillars away from direc
It's unlikely that your butterflies will all hatch at the same time, but what does that mean for feeding them? Your butterflies will not be ready to eat right away, they must adjust to their surroundings and fuse their proboscis before they are ready
It's hard to be patient when you're so excited for your butterflies to emerge. The chrysalis stage lasts on average between 7-10 days, and in some cases (like if the weather is cooler) it can take a little longer. On top of that, your caterpillars mo
If your Cup of Caterpillars™ has moisture in the cup, the cup most likely is not in the best location. Condensation is not good for your caterpillars, but don't open the cup to wipe it out. Opening the cup can introduce harmful bacteria to your cater
If you need to transport your butterflies prior to their release, you can transport them in the car in their Butterfly Habitat. Just be sure to keep them as steady as possible, either held carefully upright by a passenger, or placed on the floor of t
If you are not feeding your butterflies the nectar mixture, (mix 2 teaspoons of sugar with 1/4 cup water and dissolve thoroughly) they will enjoy a variety of fruits. The type of fruits we recommend are:. When you are slicing up the fruit for your bu
When your project is over, you can save your habitat and order more caterpillars at a later date. Before you put away your habitat for future use, you will want to remove any meconium or sugar water stains. To clean your butterfly habitat fill a smal
Release your butterflies within a week after they have emerged from their chrysalides and when it's between 50 and 85 degrees. If it is raining, if it's extremely hot, if you're experiencing smoke in the area, or any other weather event is occurring,
When it comes to webs, spiders aren't the only ones who know how to spin a yarn! Have you been watching your Painted Lady caterpillars as they eat, explore and grow? Look closely and you can often see them spinning a silky webbing around themselves!
No need to worry! The red droplets you see in your butterfly habitat after your butterflies emerged is called "Meconium". The presence of meconium is completely natural--it's the leftover part of the caterpillar that was not needed to make the butter
Insect Lore's Painted Lady butterfly-growing kits have been touching the lives of millions of children and families for over 50 years. Our kits offer children in the USA, the UK and Europe the opportunity to watch one of the marvels of nature as they
When your caterpillars first arrive, they may seem quiet or inactive.
We know the caterpillars look fuzzy and inviting for little hands, but please do not open the lid of the cup to touch them. Contact with the caterpillars can introduce bacteria to their environment, which can impact their growth. Be sure to carefully
Your caterpillars come with all the nutritious food they need to become beautiful butterflies. Please do not open the cup while they are caterpillars.
Caterpillars spin silky webbing in the wild to attach themselves to plants and protect themselves from the wind and the rain. There is no need to worry that they may be stuck in the webbing; the webbing is perfectly natural and it is normal for your
We know it's exciting to wait for your butterflies to emerge! The average length of the chrysalis stage is 7-10 days, but it can take as many as 14 days for your butterflies to emerge (although this is rare).
If this is your first time raising butterflies, we recommend that you purchase one of our live kits. This will ensure that you have everything you need to raise butterflies. In order to have the best butterfly raising experience, be sure you have:.
When you move your chrysalides to the butterfly habitat, you may notice them shaking. While it may be startling, you don’t need to worry. The chrysalides are shaking because of a natural instinct to ward off predators. When a chrysalis feels threaten
Your caterpillars will shed their skins several times before transforming into a chrysalis and once they've finished their transformation, you might notice a black object attached to the top of the chrysalis. You don’t need to worry, that black objec
When you transfer your chrysalides to the butterfly habitat, some webbing may come with them. Gently remove this webbing with a cotton swab. This is a very delicate process, so be sure to be careful when using the cotton swab. If it seems like the c
It’s very important for you to remove the webbing that may be stuck to your chrysalides. If you do not remove the webbing, the butterfly can get stuck and their wings can be damaged by the webbing when they emerge.
Every once in a while, one caterpillar might take a little bit longer to pupate than his friends. If you have one late caterpillar and the other chrysalides are ready to be moved to the habitat, here's what you can do.
Your caterpillars have enough air and you do not need to add any holes to the lid of the cup.
If you redeemed a voucher to order your cup of caterpillars, your chrysalis log will come with your caterpillar order.
When you get your cup of caterpillars, you might notice that they're eating the food at the bottom of the cup. Your caterpillars are shipped with more than enough food to develop into healthy adults. If the food appears to be running low, it is a sig
The big day is finally here and your beautiful Painted Lady butterflies have finally emerged! But when will they need to start drinking tasty nectar?. When your butterflies first emerge from the chrysalis, their proboscis (the tubular "mouth" they us
When your caterpillars begin to form chrysalides, it's very exciting, but be sure not to touch the cup or disturb them. This is a very fragile time. You will see your caterpillars hang in a "j" shape when they are getting ready to form a chrysalis. O
You may observe your butterflies shaking their wings in their habitat. Don’t worry, this is a normal behavior. All insects are coldblooded, unlike birds and mammals that maintain a constant high temperature. A butterfly vibrates its wings to increase
The undersides of your Painted Lady Butterfly wings are “marble-colored”, which provides the butterflies with a natural camouflage from predators. When the butterflies open their wings they exhibit the gorgeous orange, brown and black colors the Pai
We know it’s hard to say goodbye, but we recommend you release your butterflies within a week of their emergence, before they begin to mate. The optimum time to release your butterflies is within three to four days of emergence. If you need to releas
If you have hatched both male and female butterflies, chances are they will mate and lay eggs if you do not release them within the recommended time. Insect Lore recommends that you release your butterflies within a week after emergence. Your butterf
To make nectar for your butterflies, thoroughly mix 2 teaspoons of sugar with 1/4 cup water and dissolve thoroughly.
Be careful where you place your butterfly habitat as meconium can be absorbed by porous surfaces. Before you place your chrysalides into the butterfly habitat, be sure to place a few paper towels underneath it. The paper towels will absorb any meconi
You can reuse your butterfly habitat. Once you’ve released your butterflies you can gently wash it with warm water and some dish soap. Then it will be ready for your next cup of caterpillars.
We're so excited for your release day! Here are some quick guidelines for a successful release. Please feel free to share your release day photos with us!
Do not place your caterpillars in the fridge to attempt to slow their growth, it will harm them. There is no way to slow their growth process.