Mar 27 2010
Raising Butterflies From Caterpillars
There are few things more interesting and intriguing to a butterfly gardener than the life cycle of a butterfly. It is only natural that you might want to witness the butterfly’s life cycle up close. Raising butterflies from caterpillars is a great way to do this.
Butterfly caterpillars are very easy to capture and raise. Simply go out into the garden and look closely at the plants, and if you see any with leaves that appear to have been eaten on, check around and you will probably find a caterpillar at work.
The easiest way for me to go about raising butterflies from caterpillars is to find a cabbage butterfly caterpillar. Their favorite plants are any members of the cabbage family. I know this from experience, because they always seem to find their way onto my cabbage plants!
Anyway, once you have located the little buggers, cut some extra leaves off the host plant for the caterpillars to eat. Make sure you have enough, because they are voracious eaters! Put them and the caterpillars into your container.
If you want, you can purchase a fancy container just for raising butterflies from caterpillars called a vivarium. My method is much cheaper, I just use a clean mayonnaise jar with holes cut in the lid for air circulation. Either way, just place the caterpillar in the jar.
Be sure to put enough of those host plant leaves into the jar for the caterpillar to eat. You will notice that the little caterpillar is happily munching on the plant’s leaves. Then in a little while longer you will find that the same caterpillar has changed into the pupal stage, also known as a chrysalis.
Once inside this chrysalis, an interesting thing begins to happen. A metamorphosis will begin to occur. Your once lowly caterpillar is in the process of becoming a mature, beautiful butterfly!
It usually takes at least a week or two before the chrysalis will break open. When it does, it will reveal that you have helped bring a brand new beautiful butterfly into the world. See how easy raising butterflies from caterpillars can be?
Raising butterflies from caterpillars is also a really good project to share with children. It can allow them the opportunity to gain an appreciation of wildlife, and to witness one of the true miracles of life. The metamorphosis of the butterfly.
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