Insect Lore Butterfly Garden (Packaging May Vary)

Product Information

Painted Lady butterflies feed from over 100 different plants; this makes them incredibly vital pollinators. caterpillars (a live butterfly culture) will arrive in a clear plastic cup with all of the nutritious food they need. Place the cup in a safe place away from direct sunlight. The caterpillars will remain in the cup and will eat, spin silk and grow to TEN times their original size! After seven to ten days they will hang upside down and harden into chrysalides (chrysalides are also known as pupae). Butterflies will often feed from mud puddles to ingest minerals and salts, which are important supplements to their diet. Our fabulous Butterfly Garden Kit is supplied with a voucher for live caterpillars which is great if you are buying for a gift or not sure when you want to start raising your butterfly family. (Your gift recipient will have nothing extra to pay to redeem the voucher!)

The entire transformation from caterpillar to adult butterfly takes about three to five weeks and is just mesmerising to watch. Enjoy Raising and feeding your very own butterflies and then release them into the wild! Painted Lady butterflies can cover a lot of ground - up to 100 miles per day during their migration.

Top larval food plants

PLEASE do NOT pay for the delivery of these caterpillars, it is included in the price you have already paid! The Butterfly Garden Habitat is a reusable, cylindrical mesh container perfect for up close butterfly viewing! When not in use it folds flat for easy storage.

A group of butterflies is known as a "flutter", "swarm", "rabble" or "kaleidoscope" of butterflies. Butterflies are nearsighted but can see many of the same colors that we can - as well as ultraviolet colors that we are unable to see. Painted Lady butterflies can adjust to almost any habitat. They are found in suburban, agricultural, swamp, bog, marsh, tundra, desert, meadow, forest, rainforest and mountain environments. The largest threat to butterflies is the loss of their habitats. The increase in farming, forestry, land and building development and climate change result in the decline of butterflies and moths.This educational kit gives children, students and families an unforgettable opportunity to watch caterpillars change into chrysalides and then emerge as beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies. Raise and feed your very own butterflies and then release them into the wild! The entire transformation from caterpillar to adult butterfly takes about three to five weeks. Cup of 3-5 LIVE caterpillars with food or voucher to redeem for caterpillars (caterpillars available March to mid-September)

The vibrant colors of a butterfly's wings warn predators to stay away. These bright colors signify that the butterfly may taste bitter or may even be poisonous. All butterflies have a long, tube-shaped mouth called a "proboscis" which they use to drink liquids such as plant nectar. When not in use, this proboscis stays curled up and out of sight. Earmark a spot for seasonal perennials that offer nectar for early butterflies such as Brimstones, through to the last Red Admirals in autumn. Arrange the perennials in traditional long beds, perhaps either side of a gravel pathway, or get creative with island or raised beds, dedicating a bed to each season. Plants for butterflies

Plants for butterflies

Caterpillars have false legs at the rear of their bodies, which can be used for grasping or as "suction" cups. If butterflies get too cold, they cannot fly, feed or mate. That's why we recommend you release your butterflies when daytime temperatures are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Caterpillars spin silk using tiny spinnerets located on the lower part of the head. When you see a caterpillar moving its head from side to side, it is usually spinning silk. Painted Lady caterpillars spin silk. They use this silk to attach themselves to their host plants. You'll see your caterpillars spinning silk when your Cup of Caterpillars arrives. A caterpillar's first meal is often its own eggshell. The outer shell of the egg is rich in protein and gives them a nutritious boost.

Once the pupae have hardened, gently move them to the pop-up butterfly habitat which you can make realistic with stalks and flowers. It will take about seven to ten more days for them to complete the transformation to adult butterflies. By which stage your children will be just so excited! This educational kit gives children the opportunity to watch close up the miracle of 'Metamorphosis'. Observe caterpillars change into chrysalides and then emerge as beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies. Butterfly wings are formed by layers of "chitin", the protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton.

Your caterpillars will arrive in a clear plastic cup with all of the nutritious food they need. Keep the cup in a safe place away from direct sunlight. The caterpillars will remain in the cup and will eat, spin silk and grow to TEN times their original size! After seven to ten days they will hang upside down and harden into pupae. Enjoy an unforgettable opportunity to watch caterpillars change into chrysalides and then emerge as beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies, fun for all the family. Once the chrysalides have hardened, gently move them to the pop-up butterfly habitat. It will take about seven to ten more days for them to complete the transformation to adult butterflies. Most butterflies prefer to feed on nectar, but others will feed on the juices of rotting fruit or animal dung.