Let's talk Butterflies

[Closeacademy]

We want to watch a butterfly hatch this year. When do we need to buy one? And where would you recommend we buy it from?

I know you all have done this since I see the posts every year and this year it is our turn. We've done tadpoles (they died), venus flytraps, goldfish and we have cats. Now we want to do the whole cycle of the Butterfly hands-on style.

Thanks.

[Ali in OR]

We bought a kit at Target a few years back. Has to be in spring or summer here--no flowers for your hatched butterflies yet! I bought what's called the Butterfly Garden on the website, only when you get it at Target it comes with a certificate to mail in to get your caterpillars sent to you. Looks like if you buy online it just comes with the caterpillars.

Definitely use their food. I had a neighbor breed her butterflies and gave me caterpillars and told me to just give them thistles. They did eat the thistles, but all but one died before hitting the pupae stage. When I got the caterpillars from the company, they came in a container with all the food they need and all of them became butterflies.

http://insectlore.stores.yahoo.net/

[Monkey Island Academy]

We always look for monarch caterpillars on milkweed plants. Take them home, feed them a milkweed leaf everyday. Ours always survive and we release the butterflies soon after they emerge. If you are at all able to do it this way, it is simple and fun for the kids to "hunt" the caterpillars for themselves. We are in WI and usually start doing this in early August I think.

Michelle J

[mo2]

I'll second insect lore. I would wait until spring to buy them (if you are planning on releasing them), as it has to be above a certain temperature to release them.

[Jenny in Atl]

We have always had good luck with Carolina Science. Here is the link to their site. We have done butterflies (Painted Ladies & Monarchs) as well as Silk Worms. We did so well with the Silk Worms we had three generations before the eggs would not hatch. Good luck!

http://www.carolina.com/

[Laurel]

We had good luck as well with the Butterfly Pavillion from Insect Lore. It was lots of fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this spring.

[Heather in OK]

We've purchased from a website before (it's been several years...don't remember which) and had good success.

Another easy-to-grow plant that will attract them is dill.

[mysticamethyst]

I second the milkweed idea. If you go to your local nursery find a milkweed plant and look for the yellow eggs on the under side of the leaves, buy that plant and watch and wait. Then you can plant the milkweed and watch how many come and how quickly the caterpillers eat your milkweed plant lol.

[Jeanne in MN]

Oh heavens, yes, if you have milkweed or dill or Queen Anne's Lace around you and you want to save money, just find eggs and/or cats (caterpillars) and raise them yourself!

We've even gone so far as to plant a garden with flowers that attract butterflies. I have three, beautiful swamp milkweed plants that we collect cats off all during cat season. We raise dozens of monarchs a year that way.

We use to find black swallowtails in roadside ditches on Queen Anne's Lace, but they have been a bit more elusive. I wonder if it's because the ditches are sprayed for weeds around here and the swallowtails know it?

Anyhow, I always encourage people to raise their own cats to butterflies. In MN we find swallowtails starting in July and monarchs in August-mid to late is more common.

[Closeacademy]

Thanks, we have a garden and always have butterflies and moths but we haven't been able to find any eggs, caterpillars or anything like that. We want to release the butterfly so I will hold my horses and I have bookmarked the links so we can order when it is time.

Thanks.

[AmyinPA]

Yes, I second this. We had so much fun last year when we gathered our own monarchs and fed them milkweed from our friend's backyard. We also did this in late July last summer and plan to do this again. Start them in a small container like a styrofoam cup with a little milkweed resting in a little water. Then as they grow move them to an aquarium. They start to eat like crazy toward the end so make sure you have lots of milkweed on hand. It's a fun experiement.

[Rhesa]

We also had a good experience with the butterfly pavilion from Insect Lore. My kids loved checking on it every day. It was such a wonder when they finally came out! Good luck with your search.

[karensk]

We invited our neighbor & her daughter to join us, too. It worked out great.

The kids kept a butterfly notebook to record their observations (drawings, some notes). We memorized some butterfly poems and read a bunch of caterpiller/butterfly books, too.

My favorite part was watching the caterpillers (who were already hanging upside-down) wriggle out of their black, prickly skins -- it looked like they were scrunching down a sock, except that they were scrunching it up towards the ceiling of the container. Unfortunately, it all happened around 1am when the kids were fast asleep!

[Tarheel Heather]

We got swallotails from my moms neighbor. (I think it was dill.) What was fun is that we got them in the fall and the hibernated until spring and came out. Which was quite interesting!

[Lisawa]

We want to watch a butterfly hatch this year. When do we need to buy one? And where would you recommend we buy it from?

I know you all have done this since I see the posts every year and this year it is our turn. We've done tadpoles (they died), venus flytraps, goldfish and we have cats. Now we want to do the whole cycle of the Butterfly hands-on style.

Thanks.

Insect Lore products are great! We have grown butterflies... and will agian this spring, we also have lady bugs.....

Insect Lore (http://www.insectlore.com/)

The first kit we bought at TJMaxx, and the second one at a local teacher supply store. Im not sure what the shipping is form the site, but this is the name of the company for the kits we bought.

HTH~

[Closeacademy]

Thanks, this looks like a cool site. We can't wait to buy the butterflies here.

[hsm]

plant fennel or dill and just wait for swallowtail larve. Fun and easy and more hands on than a kit. the kits are good, but not near as good as doing it yourself.

[Doran]

Thanks, we have a garden and always have butterflies and moths but we haven't been able to find any eggs, caterpillars or anything like that. We want to release the butterfly so I will hold my horses and I have bookmarked the links so we can order when it is time.

Thanks.


What sorts of plants are you growing, and what are the butterflies you're seeing? The trick, if there is one, is to be sure you have plants that the caterpillars eat, not just the flowering species that the butterflies enjoy. Monarch larva eat only milkweed, so that narrows the field quite a lot. Swallowtails eat a larger variety including dill, parsley, fennel, regular and wild carrot (Q.A's Lace), I think.

So, if you're not growing any of those particular plants, you could start with that. Also, Google images for the caterpillar types you're hoping to raise so that you know what to look for. The eggs are TINY and easy to miss. The larva, in their first instar, are also very, very small, and easy to miss if you're not familiar with what you're looking for. Pictures will help you be prepared.

Have fun!
Doran