Getting Started
Before redeeming the coupon and payment 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. Redeem your coupon and $3.00 fee Online at www.insectlore.com/coupon, or by Mail. Your caterpillars will then be hatched from tiny green butterfly eggs in our butterfly nursery and then sent to you via First Class mail. Please allow 1 to 3 weeks for your larvae to arrive. After receiving your larvae, expect the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly to take approximately 3 weeks to complete.
Note: if temperatures are extremely hot or cold, expect a delay in the shipment of your larvae - we don't want them to die in transit!

When Your Caterpillars Arrive
Your larvae will arrive in a cardboard box that says “Live Butterflies – Open Immediately.” Inside is a container with two to three 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 don’t 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 chrysalis, the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation to the beautiful parts that will make up the butterfly.

Transferring Your Chrysalides
Into The Mini Butterfly Bungalow Habitat
When your chrysalides have formed, it's time to put them into the
observation habitat. The chrysalides should have attached themselves to the paper disk under the lid of their container.
First, carefully open the container and remove the paper disk, gently separating the chrysalides from any silk that might be attached to them.
Then use a straight pin or safety pin to attach the disk to the inside of the habitat, a couple of inches above the habitat's floor. If any of your chrysalides become detached from their disk, gently lay them on a napkin on the floor of the habitat. Chances are good they will still emerge as healthy butterflies.

When placing your Mini Butterfly Bungalow® on a counter, be sure it's in a place where it won't be knocked over. Hanging your Mini Butterfly Bungalow® by a string through its topmost pole is a good way to keep it safe from unexpected bumps or accidents, and out of reach of pets.
While direct sunlight isn't as big a concern as it was when the caterpillars were in the growing container, keeping your Mini Butterfly Bungalow® and chrysalides out of harsh sunlight and out of the breeze from air conditioning vents is a good idea. Think of it this way: if they're in a spot that would make you feel too hot or too cold, they're probably feeling too hot or cold.

The Birth Of A Butterfly
Approximately seven to ten days after the chrysalides form, your butterflies will begin to emerge as adults. The darker the chrysalis, the closer it is to emergence. Keep your eyes on them now as you may get to witness the birth of a butterfly! As a butterfly emerges, it will rest in a vertical position while pumping its wings to full size. The butterflies do this by forcing blood under pressure into the veins of the wings. One to two hours after emergence, the wings will be full-sized and hardened, and the butterfly will be ready to fly.
Don't be alarmed if you see a red liquid which looks like blood coming from the tail end of the butterfly. This is called meconium. It’s the left-over color and unneeded tissues from the butterfly’s wing formation.

Feeding, Observing, & Releasing
Feeding your butterflies is fun. Mix three teaspoons of sugar into a cup of water and stir. Decorate the floor of your Mini Butterfly Bungalow® with a bouquet of fresh flowers (such as carnations or mums). Use the included Dropper to squirt the sugar water mixture directly onto the flowers with the eyedropper.
An alternative is to wad up a facial tissue into a 2 inch ball and soak it with the sugar water. Set the ball on a paper plate on the floor inside the habitat. Butterflies also like to drink from slices of freshly-cut oranges.
Observe the butterflies eating. You will see them unfurl their proboscis, drink the sugar water or orange juice, then roll the proboscis back up. Sprinkle the sugar water mixture on the flowers or tissue balls every day and remember to keep the sugar water refrigerated between feedings. After observing your butterflies for a few days, and, if weather conditions permit, we recommend releasing them outside. It’s safe when temperatures are above 55 degrees.
Once released, the butterflies can often be seen for several days in the vicinity of their release. Painted ladies live throughout North America so you can safely release them anywhere!