Insect Lore’s Butterfly Pavilion Habitat – Raising Live Caterpillars to Butterflies

ByCrystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary

This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.

 

 
Most of you have followed our journey for the past few weeks with our Painted Lady Butterflies from Insect Lore. We received them as small caterpillars (live in the mail!), and just released the newly emerged butterflies yesterday! It was an incredible learning experience for both me, my husband, and my children.
 
Butterflies are beautiful creatures that always make me stop and look when I see them fluttering around outside. But I had never actually watched a caterpillar turn into a chrysalis. I also had never actually watched a butterfly emerge out of a chrysalis. And I certainly had never seen butterfly eggs before. And I am an animal lover and have a Biology degree!
 
Watched the changes in the life cycle of these Painted Butterflies for us would never have been possible without Insect Lore! They sell caterpillars, and many other animals (ladybugs, praying mantis, worms, frogs, etc.) in these educational kits made both for home use and in your classroom!
 
Before I start with our experience I highly suggest “liking” Insect Lore on Facebook if you are planning on raising any of their animals. They are extremely helpful and the support there is great if you have questions along the way! I posted questions there more than once throughout this review!
 On the first day we received our box from Insect Lore we pulled out a net habitat (shown above) and the caterpillars (shown below). The butterfly habitat is a simple pop up hamper with a zipper at the bottom for easy access to the food/chrysalis. It’s really quite large! You can see above how the hamper is almost as tall as my son!! I was very surprised at how tall it was. I had originally planned to put them on my kitchen countertop- but had to relocated them somewhere else!
 Before I received my caterpillars I wasn’t exactly sure what was involved with taking care of them. I was imagining having to feed them every day and maybe move them somewhere else. Nope!! It was SO easy. Those 2 cups of caterpillar you’ll receive with your Butterfly Pavilion kit- you have to do absolutely nothing with! You don’t open it or anything! The brown junk at the bottom of the container is all of the nutrients your caterpillars will need to live on!
 
Inside there is a paper disc in the top of the container where the caterpillars will end up forming their chrysalis on. And the plastic top of the container you can see has small holes to give the caterpillars plenty of air to breathe! I couldn’t believe how incredibly simple this was- I had to do absolutely nothing so far but open the box! The kit is supposed to come with two containers of caterpillars, each containing 3-5 caterpillars. (6-10 total butterfly larvae) I ended up with more!
Just 2 days later our caterpillars had grown humongous! (considering when we received them some of them were such tiny little balls I couldn’t even tell what it was!) Pictures are hard to take since you can’t open the container. But we loved watching how quickly the caterpillars on our countertop grew! In less than a week most of our caterpillars had already transformed into chrysalids!
 Once all of your caterpillars in the nutrient cup have turned to chrysalids, here comes the hard part! It wasn’t as hard as it was a little nerve-wrecking! You’ll need to carefully open the container, and pull out the paper disc which all of the chrysalids are attached to. My containers contained a lot of silk so I had to take the paintbrush they included and pull away the silk so the paper disc would come out of the cup.
 
The chrysalids look SO fragile, and you don’t want to knock them around too much, but let’s face it. They have to withstand rain and wind outside so they really are pretty strong! Even trying to pull the silk off of the cup was surprisingly difficult!
Once you remove your paper disc with chrysalids you will need to pin it into the side of your net habitat. For me- this was definitely the hardest part! You will need a second pair of hands to help you!! We had to pin our discs on 2 separate days since one of our caterpillars was a “late bloomer”!
 
Then came the waiting game!! We had to wait for our chrysalids to break open and emerge butterflies! To help the days pass we decided to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. We did several life cycle learning lessons, crafts, and we also made a trip to Lowe’s to buy some plants! We spent an afternoon planting butterfly-friendly flowers in our new butterfly garden! The kids loved it!!
This couldn’t have a more perfect experience! Our first butterfly emerged on Easter morning!! And by the time we had come back from church we had 9 butterflies!! Every day we gave our butterflies some sugar water mix (you can find out how to make it in Insect Lore’s directions!) and we also pulled in fresh flowers from outside. We had these white honeysuckle flowers that the butterflies immediately flocked to as soon as we dropped them in the cage! It was really neat.
 
We also bought a small $.95 daisy plant at Walmart to leave in the butterfly habitat as well which was a very good choice! There were always several butterflies on the plant! AND by the end of our project we had over a hundred butterfly eggs that were laid on the plant too!
We finally decided to release the butterflies! We were trying to wait for all of the chrysalids to emerge. We had one left, but we had SO many butterfly eggs and our daisy plant was starting to wither, so we wanted to let the butterflies go so we could try and save the plant and eggs. (which we did!) WOW! This was my favorite part- it was incredible to let all of our butterflies go! Our family had a blast watching them fly all over the yard, up in the trees, over to the neighbors house. We even had a few that kept flying all around us for a while. I loved it just as much as my kids did!
 Some of the butterflies took off and we didn’t see them again. And some of them decided to fly out and perch nearby! You can see the one below that is sitting on the top of our fence, and the one next to it decided to sit on their favorite flower vine and eat! You can see its proboscis out looking for food!!
We had one butterfly, when he emerged, he had a curled wing in the back. He never seemed to be able to fly in the habitat, and kind of fluttered around at the bottom. So we assumed he couldn’t fly because of his deformity. He of course was our last butterfly left in the habitat, so we carefully scooped him up and each of us took a turn holding him. Don’t grab them by their wings! We simply let the butterfly walk right into our hands.
We had bought a special butterfly plant close to the ground in hopes that this butterfly would survive if he fell off of the plant. We held him for about 15 minutes then we walked him over to the little plant which we were hoping would make him a nice new home. And would you believe that when I went to put him on the plant he FLEW OFF! WOW! He sure fooled us by fluttering around the cage looking injured for a week and then by letting us hold him for so long!! I couldn’t believe it! He flew all over the backyard, up in the tree, and all over the place! We were shocked! I guess he just needed a little extra love!
 
And look at this- our beautiful butterflies left us with the gift of many new butterfly eggs!! We’re going to let them hatch and start all over again! You can buy this kit on Insect Lore’s site or on Amazon for under $20-30 depending on the sale. It is worth every penny and more- I guarantee you! You cannot put a price on this type of experience!
I had never raised butterflies before, and this certainly will not be the last time. This was an incredibly amazing experience! I highly and very strongly recommend that every child (or adult) have the opportunity to experience this. Not only is it enjoyable, but it is a valuable hands-on lesson that you cannot experience simply by reading about it. Letting your child, classroom, or your family observe a complete life cycle of one of the most beautiful creatures on earth is one of the most educational experiences I can think of!
 
 Want to raise butterflies with your classroom? Insect Lore has a special Butterfly Pavilion School Kit where you will receive more than enough caterpillars for every student in your class!!
 
You can read a more detailed post from each day here:
Day 1,  Final Release
 
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I received a product to test. All opinions are my own. 
 

 

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267 Comments

  1. I would love to win this for both of my kids. They are really interested in butterflies and this would give them a unique look into how they change from caterpillar to butterfly. Looks really neat.

  2. I follow you on Twitter (mnsteph)

  3. I follow on GFC (Steph)

  5. My favorite product at Insect Lore is the Eco-Aquarium.

  6. dreemz8680 says:

    I would love this for my 3 1/2 year old son. He is just getting into bugs and loves watching and playing with them..this would be an amazing expereience for him. [email protected]

  7. dreemz8680 says:

    I like Insect Lore on FB #1

  8. dreemz8680 says:

    I like insect lore on facebook #2

  9. dreemz8680 says:

    I follow insect lore on twitter #1

  10. dreemz8680 says:

    i follow insect lore on twitter #2

  11. dreemz8680 says:

    I like Surviving a Teachers Salary on Facebook

  12. dreemz8680 says:

    I Follow Surviving a Teachers Salary on Twitter @dreemz8680

  13. dreemz8680 says:

    I follow Surviving a Teachers Salary via Google Friend Connect

  14. SuzyQSparkles says:

    My 6 yo son is currently attempting to raise caterpillars his Great Aunt caught… it sounds like having the proper food is critical, so I would like for him to have the kit.

  15. SuzyQSparkles says:

    I like Insect Lore on Facebook.

  16. dreemz8680 says:

    I am loving the frog Eco-Aquarium. That looks like something I would love to buy for my lil one or even for myself! 😉 haha

  17. SuzyQSparkles says:

    I like Surviving on a Teacher's Salary on Facebook.

  18. A (Daily) Woman says:

    My son will get this if I win, maybe it will save some of the wild butterflies.

  20. SuzyQSparkles says:

    My 6yo son is also trying to raise tadpoles from eggs harvested during Spawning. So… the tadpole kit would be our choice from the Insect Lore online shop.

    behappyhappyhappy at gmail dot com

  21. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Like Insects Lores on FB 1

  22. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Like Insect Lore on FB 2

  23. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Follow Insect Lore on Twitter ASDsupportNC 1

  24. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Follow Insect Lore on Twitter ASDsupportNC 2

  25. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Like you on FB

  26. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Follow you on Twitter

  27. A (Daily) Woman says:

    Follow you GFC

  28. A (Daily) Woman says:

    I like the Praying Mantis Pagoda.
    laceylong27574(at)gmail(dot)com

  29. Anonymous says:

    My son would get to do this. It would be a really cool thing for him to experience and learn about.

    [email protected]

  31. Anonymous says:

    I liked surviving a teacher's salary on fb.

  32. I would love to use this with my kids. They are crazy about bugs.

  33. Hard to choose between Ladybug land and Praying Mantis.

  34. My daughter would love this!

  45. Miss Sarah says:

    Oh, I'd love to do this with my 4 year old niece. She would be so excited!

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    misterjimmy at sbcglobal dot net

  47. I would use this for my kids!

  48. id give this to my niece

  49. My daughter would love to watch this process!

    Vclark9 @ gmail . com

  50. I follow you on facebook.

  57. My almost 6 year old has been begging for this. What a great birthday present it would make

    hugsfam5 at msn dot com

  59. Anonymous says:

    My girls would love this! We love all kinds of animals, and we have found Monarch caterpillars in previous years.

  60. Anonymous says:

    My kids would love this. We are always looking for easy fun projects to do, especially involving animals.

    [email protected]

  61. Momma On The Run says:

    I would love to do this kit with my two boys over the summer for a lesson on the metamorphosis of the butterfly! Looks so fun and, educational!
    Shanmommy at hotmail dot com

  62. Momma On The Run says:

    I like insect lore on FB!! (1)

  63. Momma On The Run says:

    I like insect lore on FB!! (2)

  64. Momma On The Run says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter (1)

  65. Momma On The Run says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter (2)

  66. Momma On The Run says:

    I like Surviving a Teachers Salary on Facebook

  67. Momma On The Run says:

    I follow Surviving a Teachers Salary on Twitter @trulove821

  68. Momma On The Run says:

    I also LOVE the praying mantis egg kits they have!!

  69. My two older kids would love this kit. I think they would also enjoy one of the tadpole kids from the Insect Lore website. On the funny side, if we win the butterfly pavilion my sister would never visit us, she is terrified of butterflies!
    [email protected]

  70. This looks great. Would love it for my kids and classroom.
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  71. Like Insect Lore on fb. 1
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  72. Like insect lore on fb 2
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  73. follow insect lore on twitter
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  74. follow insect lore on twitter 2
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  75. like you on fb
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  76. like you on twitter
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  77. Visited insect lore and like their Fish in a Jiff Hatching Kit.
    tnxns09 at gmail dot com

  78. This looks like so much fun. I would love to win it for my grandkids, ages 8 & almost 5. My grandson would be crazy over it:) Thanks for the opportunity to win.
    [email protected]

  80. So many great things at Insect Lore…how to choose? I think the Garden Spider Web Frame would be neat. Thanks again for the opportunity to win:)
    [email protected]

  82. My kids would absolutely love this!

  83. like "surviving" on facebook lisa w.

  84. follow "surviving" via gfc lisamarie

  85. Anonymous says:

    My boys would absolutely love doing this project…. I wanted to get it for them for easter but did not….. what a great hands on activity and boys love bugs…..

    Monica Leasure

    [email protected]

  88. I like Surviing on a Teacher's Salary on Facebook :o)

  90. Anonymous says:

    I would love to have the butterfly pavillion for my classroom.

    Thank you!
    Catherine
    [email protected]

  99. My 3 would love it. We have been working VERY hard on our front yard flower garden and adding butterflies to it would be amazing 🙂

  100. My four kiddos and I would do this as one of our homeschool science projects – this would be so fun!!

    [email protected]

  104. i like insect lore on facebook
    melissa pruitt

  105. i like insect lore on facebook
    x2
    melissa pruitt

  106. i follow insect lore on twitter
    @butterflyz01234

  107. i follow insect lore on twitter
    x2
    @butterflyz01234

  110. My 3 year old son would love raising his own butterflies!

  111. I love the Eco-Aquarium at Insect Lore!

  113. I follow Insect Lore on twitter (I'm @prizealert)

  114. I follow you on twitter (I'm @prizealert)

  120. we have five kiddies but our 10 daughter would be the one most excited about this. She loves nature.
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  121. Insect Lore on Facebook abbiw
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  122. 2 Insect Lore on Facebook abbiw
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  123. Insect Lore on Twitter kidpack05
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  124. 2 Insect Lore on Twitter kidpack05
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  125. Surviving a Teachers Salary on Facebook abbiw
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  126. Surviving a Teachers Salary on Twitter kidpack05
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  127. via Google Connect
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt com

  128. Eco-Aquarium would also be really cool to have
    kidpack05 at yahoo dt ocm

  131. Like you on FB… my class of 20 three year olds are super excited about the caterpillars in the butterfly garden that we planted. Would LOVE to show them the process close up. 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity to enter! Iris Levey Tompkins ([email protected])

  132. I would give this to my son and daughter. I would get in on it also to be honest.
    [email protected]

  135. Alicia C. says:

    Wow! I missed your post about the butterfly with the messed up wing flying away!
    This would definitely be a great experience for my sons and all the kids in our neighborhood, too!
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  136. Alicia C. says:

    I like Insect Lore on FB #1
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  137. Alicia C. says:

    I like Insect Lore on FB #2
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  138. Alicia C. says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter #1
    amccrenshaw
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  139. Alicia C. says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter #2
    amccrenshaw
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  140. Alicia C. says:

    I like you on FB
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  141. Alicia C. says:

    I follow you on Twitter
    amccrenshaw
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  142. Alicia C. says:

    I follow you on GFC
    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  144. Alicia C. says:

    LOL – It would have been easier for me if you had asked what I DON'T want from Insect Lore!!! I want it all. I already have the Ladybug land. I guess my next "need" from them would be the Praying Mantis Pagoda, or maybe the

  145. http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com/ says:

    Collin would get to raise his own butterflies but we would probably share them with big brother, sister and playgroup too.
    [email protected]

  148. http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com/ says:

    following insect lore on twitter @aawhitehead
    [email protected]

  149. http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com/ says:

    follow insect lore #2 on twitter @aawhitehead
    [email protected]

  150. http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com/ says:

    like surviving a teachers salary on fb
    [email protected]

  151. http://livingatthewhiteheadszoo.blogspot.com/ says:

    follow surving a teachers salary on twitter @aawhitehead
    [email protected]

  155. Anonymous says:

    I loved reading about your experience,I want my very own! However, if I win, I will give it to my grandchildren.

    [email protected]

  159. i would LOVE to win this for my daughters. i have twin 5 yr olds and a 1 yr old that i homeschool, so this would be AWESOME to win! it fits right in with the unit study i put together and we LOVE insect lore! great great site with lots of educational materials for the kids and adults alike!
    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  160. already a fan of insect lore on facebook! (pamela G) #1
    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  161. already a fan of insect lore on facebook! (pamela G) #2
    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  162. following insect lore on twitter #1
    @bohemedelight

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  163. following insect lore on twitter #2
    @bohemedelight

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  164. like surviving teachers salary on facebook (pamela G)

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  165. following surviving teachers salary on twitter
    @bohemedelight

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  166. following via GFC (pamelaG)

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  167. ok.. i love EVERYTHING on insect lore, seriously. from the bugs to the art cart! i wish we could give it ALL a try! my girls would be in their glory as they're super in tune with nature… i think i have budding scientists 😉 wanted to thank you for sharing your story and for this opportunity to win something we've wanted for a while! for those of us that do not win, do you perhaps have a discount code available so that we may make a purchase? 🙂 it'll make MY single mama teacher salary happy 🙂

    ecodelight(at)gmail(dot)com

  173. Anonymous says:

    I posted on my page, liked your link, I LOVE the lady bug habitat and I am ordering for my classroom!!! And I liked Insect Lure!!! Thanks!!
    Casey Moyer-Caswell

  179. I will give them to my daughter's preschool class for them to raise!
    katiekarr at gmail dot com

  187. My 5 year old keeps asking for this when he sees it on tv. My 3rd graders would love it, too! [email protected]

  188. My two kids (7, and 4) will LOVE this! I am a little excited too! 🙂

    [email protected]

  190. I like you on facebook! 🙂

  192. My three year old daughter would love to raise her own butterflies!

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  193. I liked insect lore on facebook!

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  194. I liked insect lore on facebook!

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  195. Following insect lore on Twitter.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  196. Following insect lore on Twitter.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  197. I like surviving a teacher's salary on facebook.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  198. I follow surviving a teacher's salary on twitter.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  199. Following this blog on GFC.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  200. We would also like ladybug land.

    glutenfreemotherhood(at)gmail(dot)com

  211. One Rich Mother says:

    two of my daughters LOVE butterflies my 2 year old and my 10 year old. : )
    SashaBreeze(at)gmail(dot)com

  224. I recently raised silkworms and last year I did raise the butterflies. It is amazing but due to budget cuts I was not able to get the butterflies this year:( Maybe Next year;0

  229. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    My niece would LOVE this!

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  230. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    i like insect lore on facebook as emily ev–t

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  231. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    insect lore on facebook 2

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  232. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    i like insect lore on twitter as @forgetshyness

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  233. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    insect lore on twitter entry 2

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  234. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    i like your facebook fan page as emily ev–t

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  235. Forget Shyness Reviews says:

    i follow you on twitter as @forgetshyness

    littleheathen9109 @ yah00 d0t c0m

  236. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I would love to give this to my niece, though my son also wants one! 🙂

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

  237. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I'd also love Ladybug Land!

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

  238. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I like Insect Lore on Facebook (Lauren Wayne).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

    #1

  239. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I like Insect Lore on Facebook (Lauren Wayne).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

    #2

  240. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter (@Hobo_Mama).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

    #1

  241. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I follow Insect Lore on Twitter (@Hobo_Mama).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

    #2

  242. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I like you on Facebook (Lauren Wayne).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

  243. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I follow you on Twitter (@Hobo_Mama).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

  244. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:

    I follow you on Google Friend Connect (Lauren @ Hobo Mama).

    mail {at} HoboMama.com

  245. This would be such a great activity to do with our five year old this summer! I'd love for her to have this expirience before she goes to kindergarten in the fall!!!
    Cassie
    [email protected]

  248. tina reynolds says:

    I think all three of my kids would enjoy but especially my daughter Carly who has been wanting one for a while thanks so much for the chance to win [email protected]

  251. tina reynolds says:

    Follow Insect Lore on Twitter @eaglesforjack 1/2

  252. tina reynolds says:

    Follow Insect Lore on Twitter @eaglesforjack 2/2

  255. tina reynolds says:

    Follow Surviving a Teachers Salary on Twitter @eaglesforjack

  256. tina reynolds says:

    I think Ladybug Land with Coupon for Live Ladybug Larvae would also be really nice thanks for the chance to win [email protected]

  259. jenblizzard says:

    I would probably give this to my son or daughter, they are both into the insect thing right now! LOL
    [email protected]

  260. jenblizzard says:

    liked insect lore on fb #1

  261. jenblizzard says:

    liked insect lore on fb #2

  262. jenblizzard says:

    following insect lore on twitter #1
    @jenblizzard542

  263. jenblizzard says:

    following insect lore on twitter #2
    @jenblizzard542

  264. jenblizzard says:

    liked surving a teachers a salary on fb
    Jennie M

  265. jenblizzard says:

    following you on twitter
    @jenblizzard542

  266. I'd love to let my nieces watch butterflies grow. They'd love it.

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