Butterfly Rearing
Raising butterfly caterpillars by providing them with food and shelter until they transform into adults is both educational and enjoyable. Rearing them provides an opportunity for close observation of the life cycle of butterflies. You can begin with eggs found on the butterfly food plant. Place the leaves with eggs on them into a large wide-mouth jar or other container with the food plant. You can also start with caterpillars rather than eggs, if you collect them from plant leaves or tree branches. Make sure you have enough adequate fresh food growing nearby for your hungry caterpillars! Punch small holes in the jar lid, or cover the top with a fine mesh screen held on with a rubber band. Keep a damp paper towel in the container. Frequently clean the cage of frass (droppings). Replace the food plants as necessary, when the leaves have been eaten or turn dry. As the newly hatched caterpillars grow, they will need plenty of food and space. Never place too many caterpillars in a single container. Put in some twigs for the caterpillers to climb on when they begin to pupate.
The transformation of a frequently ugly or bizarre caterpillar into an elegant butterfly is truly one of the regularly performed miracle of nature. Be sure to watch each stage of butterfly development carefully. You may observe how the egg changes color before hatching, how the caterpillar eats and moves, and how it changes features and perhaps color as it grows. Check on the pupa often so you can release the adult soon after it emerges.
Various butterfly rearing kits are available at thebutterflysite[dot]com. Painted Lady butterflies are used in these kits because they can be released in any state in the continental United States. The kits come with an artificial diet for them to completely develop, a colorful habitat, and full instructions. This activity can be enjoyed year ’round (the instructions include how to feed adult butterflies without releasing them). Watch the butterfly’s transition as it matures, changes into a chrysalid, and finally emerges!