Butterfly Pavillion by Wranglerbarn

wranglerbarn — June 04, 2010 — http://www.insectlore.com/xinsectucat...
Your Butterfly Pavilion includes:
• A pop-up butterfly observation habitat.
• Dropper to feed the butterflies.
• This instruction guide with fun butterfly facts.
• Butterfly certificate to send away for your larvae.

Getting Started
Before mailing the certificate for your caterpillars and food, make sure you are ready to receive and care for them.
Remember to plan for any school breaks, holidays, or extended weekends that may interrupt the project. Write your name and address on the certificate and mail it to the address listed. The certificate will arrive at our laboratory where tiny green butterfly eggs are hatched into caterpillars in a butterfly nursery and then sent to you via First Class mail. Once you mail the
certificate, please allow 1 to 2 weeks for the larvae to arrive. After receiving your larvae, expect the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly to take approximately 3 weeks.

When Your Caterpillars Arrive
Your larvae will arrive in a cardboard box that says "Live Butterflies -- Open Immediately". Inside are two containers with three to five small caterpillars and adequate food for the caterpillars development. Now the fun begins!

Caring For Your Caterpillars
It is very important that you always keep your caterpillar container upright, indoors and out of direct sunlight! Direct sunlight will cause the interior of the cup to heat up and condensation can form within the container. This water can often cause the caterpillars to sicken and die. To keep the nutrient clean, keep the lid on the container at all times. The larvae do not need anything other than the food provided inside the container.
Don't be alarmed if at first you don't see any movement. Look for a little bit of silky webbing as this is a good sign that they are well. Now watch as they eat and grow to many times their original size!

A Fascinating Change
At a normal room temperature of 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit, the caterpillars should take approximately 7 to 10 days to make the fascinating change into chrysalides. The caterpillars will climb to the top of the cup and hang down "head first." It is crucial that they not be disturbed at this point as this is their most vulnerable stage. Although this seems to be a time of resting in the butterfly's development, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalid, the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation to the beautiful parts that will make up the butterfly