Hobbies And Interests

How to Keep Butterflies Alive

Raising caterpillars into butterflies can be a rewarding endeavor for young children. The average lifespan of a butterfly is a month and a maximum of nine months, while some butterflies live only a few days. According to the North American Butterfly Association, the bigger part of the battle is nurturing the caterpillar into its emergence as a butterfly and then releasing it to live out its life in the wild.

Things You'll Need

  • Caterpillar
  • Host plant
  • Aquarium
  • 1-gal. jar
  • Paper towels
  • Misting bottle
  • Glue
  • Cardboard
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a caterpillar. Look for known host plants, such as milkweed, spicebush and paw-paw, according to Butterfly School. If you don't have access to these plants or don't have time, Butterfly School notes that some companies sell caterpillars. The Monarch butterfly, for example, may be purchased through an online company called Monarch Watch.

    • 2

      Place your caterpillar in an aquarium or a 1-gal. jar and use a screen or cheesecloth at the top, secured by a rubber band, as a cage.

    • 3

      Feed your caterpillar clippings from its original host plant. Since caterpillars are picky eaters, you must be sure to know its host plant.

    • 4

      Provide your caterpillar with fresh food since they will not eat dried plant pieces. Place a potted host plant into their cage for easy access to fresh food at all times, according to The Butterfly Farm.

    • 5

      Clean your caterpillar's habitat everyday. Since caterpillars eat an abundance of food, they create as much waste, also called frass. The Butterfly Farm recommends lining the bottom of the cage with paper towels to make this important job easier.

    • 6

      Wash your hands before handling your caterpillar since they are susceptible to infections. Handle the caterpillar gently since it is a fragile creature.

    • 7

      Move the caterpillar to a new container once it pupates, which is the stage at which your caterpillar will stop feeding and begin its transformation into a butterfly.

    • 8

      Mist the container to keep the air inside humid.

    • 9

      Hang the pupa high from the top of the container to ensure it has enough space for its wings to emerge. Use glue to attach the pupa to a piece of cardboard at the top of the container.

    • 10

      Put sticks on the bottom so that your newly emerged butterfly will be able to climb up and find a place to hang.

    • 11

      Release your newly emerged butterfly. The kindest thing you can do for your ward is to give it its freedom within a few hours of emergence so it can fly and live out its brief life.


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