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Live Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore
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Minimum Age: 4 years
Rating:  
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Our Editorial Review
Product Description Witness one of nature's most spectacular transformations up close with this reusable, collapsible habitat. Fine, transparent mesh lets you see butterfly metamorphosis up close. Product includes easy-to-use feeder and complete instructions for habitat. Butterfly larvae with food shipped directly to your home. The habitat collapses for storage when not in use. You can adopt and raise a handful of caterpillars, watch them transform into painted lady butterflies, then lift the garden cover to release your beautiful specimens into the wild. This exciting habitat makes a fabulous introduction to the miracles of nature. The larvae and food available round the year.
Editorial Review Did you know that painted ladies (the butterflies, that is) taste with their feet and have 10,000 eyes? You and your kids will be fascinated by all you learn about these beautiful creatures with the Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore. The kit comes with a relatively easy-to-assemble observation chamber; supplies for feeding the butterflies (you provide only sugar and water); an informative booklet of clear instructions and butterfly facts; and a certificate for three to five free painted lady caterpillars. The metamorphosis from larva to butterfly takes about three weeks from when you receive the caterpillar larvae (which arrive in a small container with all the nutrients they need). Your children can watch the larvae increase dramatically in size, form chrysalides, and finally emerge into full-fledged painted ladies (it's suggested that they release the butterflies after a few days of observation). This would make a wonderful activity for families with kids of any age, but younger children will need help assembling the observation chamber and reading the instruction booklet. (Note: The manufacturer recommends that butterflies should not be set free in temperatures lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.) --Rachel Radway
Customer Reviews
Wonderful Posted 25 August 2008
I bought this for my daughter's 4th birthday. We received 5 caterpillars and she was thrilled. She treated them very gently and kept them out of direct sun. After a few days they went into their cocoons and after 7 days all 5 became butterflies. She loved taking them outside and letting them go. After we watched the last one fly away she said "I am a great butterfly mommy, aren't I". Overall it was a great learning experience. Wonderful product!
Neat Posted 24 August 2008
My 6 yr-old asked for the butterfly garden. His father and I were just as fascinated as he was to watch the whole process of them eating, growing, and forming chrysalids. My son was delighted to release his new butterfly "pets" after a few days. I would have preferred having the caterpillars mailed along with the habitat rather than sending off for them separately, though.
Live Butterfly Pavilion Posted 24 August 2008
We love this toy!!! All Caterpillars hatched into beautiful butterflies. We had fun giving them fresh flowers and special food that is also available. We had a cup of wheat grass growing from a school project and gave it to the butterflies and they played in the grass every day. We have already ordered more caterpillars to start our butterfly habitat again. It is very educational and fun for the whole family. This pavilion is light weight, easy to view and easy to clean. Get one for your kids and see it is so much fun to learn about butterflies and science.
Very educational and fun Posted 13 August 2008
We mailed in the coupon to receive the caterpillars in mid July, and all 10 survived the hot summer mailbox. Within a week they turned into chrysalids, and after about another week the butterflies just popped out! We got one of them coming out on video camera - they come out quick! One of them couldn't come out quite right, but even the 3 on the floor on a paper towel came out just fine.
They weren't too crazy about sugar water, so I did some research and thought maybe the concentration wasn't high enough. So I used a little less than a tablespoon of sugar to 1/2 cup of water, and I see them drink from that a bit more. I also cut up oranges, apples, nectarines, and bananas. I also cut up some fresh flowers that butterflies like and put them in a tiny container with water. They like that the best.
I still felt like they weren't eating very much, so I went to a local greenhouse and got a smallest annual plant they had that butterflies love (lantana), and within minutes of putting it inside, the butterflies were all over it. And they started laying eggs!! And they're only 5 days old!! Thankfully I've researched what painted lady caterpillars eat (different species eat different leaves) and been collecting plants outdoors. Insect Lore informed me that the caterpillars would come out of the mesh holes, so we bought a critter cage and put a paper towel underneath the lid.
the whole family loved it Posted 07 August 2008
My daughter received this from her aunt for her 6th birthday in December. We mailed the enclosed pre-paid card to redeem the larvae in late February. I'm not sure where this was purchased, but there were no hidden, additional costs for us, although my sister paid around $25 for the kit. It took about 2 weeks to receive the larvae, which was packed carefully and properly labeled so the Post Office didn't damage it. It contained 5 larvae and we had 100% success. Facinating to watch as they grow daily. At the point that you remove the crysalids from the plastic cup, it is filled with leftover food, poop, and webs, so you will need someone who is not squeamish. When they were in the butterfly stage, I tried sugar-water on flowers but they didn't seem to eat. Orange slices left mold on the bottom of the cage. Dipping crumpled paper in sugar-water seemed to work best. The butterflies will live about 2 weeks, and we kept them indoors since it was only April and too cold to release them. They did open their wings and become active when the sun came through our window. We released them one warm day after they had been butterflies for two weeks, rather than have them die before our eyes indoors. I would recommend you attempt this 2-month process in warm weather.
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