When I awoke this morning, I was surprised to see that the Painted Lady butterflies had already hatched! We have three butterflies and counting! And it all happened overnight! The butterflies emerged from their cocoons and climbed up the side of the rearing cage. They will now pump their wings with blood and chemicals to strengthen their wings in order to prepare for flight. This can take 3-4 hours.
There was blood when they emerged, but don’t be alarmed. This is perfectly natural. Be sure not to disturb the butterflies at this point. They are EXTREMELY FRAGILE. Any movement can make them fall and damage their wings.
Rearing butterflies has been wonderful, but they require an attentive and gentle handler. So far, I have lost two butterflies. Remember, not all of them make it to full growth potential. it is important to care for them daily by cleaning rearing cups and keeping them free of moisture and remove frass, and to make sure caterpillars have enough to eat. You can also remove chrysalises 3 or 4 at a time by replacing the filter paper in the rearing cup. This gives them plenty of room to grow.
As I am dealing with now, it is important to also have plants ready for the butterflies. This includes host plants and nectar sources. Visit my post “Feeding Your Caterpillars” blog post for more information on host plants and nectar sources.
A serious gardener would grow his own plants from seed, though it is not so easy to do. You may need shelving or room to store plants as well as an artificial light source to allow for indoor growing. I have yet to do so because it is rather costly, but I intend to begin soon. Growing plant from seed can mean the difference between a $2 packet of 50 seeds and a $13 plant. Stay tuned for future blog posts on the topic!
~Stephanie S.
Imagine Butterflies
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