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How to Hold a Butterfly

Despite their fragility, there are ways to handle a butterfly that cause the minimum amount of damage to the insect. Do not, however, pick up live butterflies unless you need to for examination or presentation. Their wings are covered with scales that can brush off just at a touch. Unnecessary handling interferes with the butterfly's ability to fly and escape from predators or spider webs. If you merely want to have a butterfly sitting on your hand, perhaps in a butterfly house, it is best to let a butterfly crawl or land on you of its own accord.

Instructions

- 1
  Approach the butterfly slowly.
- 2
  Wait until the butterfly closes its wings together.
- 3
  Use the index finger and third finger of your dominant hand to hold the butterfly's wings midway between the body and the edges of the wings, to ensure you are holding all four wings. It is difficult to hold the butterfly too tightly in this manner, and the pressure is distributed over a wide area. Aim for the pressure you would use to hold a valuable, fragile piece of paper in a breeze. Don't use thumb and index finger -- it is much too easy to pinch and perhaps damage the butterfly's wings.

Insects & Science