The netted butterfly house was getting a little bit much of a hassle to Maintain. First of all, caterpillars eat a lot and that means they poop a lot too, and since caterpillars are really tiny their... leavings tend to be quite miniscule as well. This means that they get trapped in all the little crevices (especially the lining) of the netting which can be quite difficult to clean... and while caterpillar poop generally does not smell (Thank God for small mercies), leaving them in there could cause fungal growth which may be harmful to the insect larvae so out it was, with the netted breeding pen and in with a more conventional plastic terrarium. The new Butterfly House is basically a large (about 2 by 1 feet) plastic terrarium, the kind you can get in most fish stores, that I have inverted to stand on its side so as to give it more height.
Butterfly House V. 2.0 |
As you can see there really is nothing to it. The bottom of the terrarium (that was once the side) is lined with newspaper, just so it looks neater and is easier to clean as well and I have placed the stem clippings (with the butterfly larvae growing on them) in a little jar filled with damp cotton balls (something I overlooked in the earlier butterfly house) as this will keep the clippings fresh for days on end meaning that I have to cut a lot less from the plants. They are placed on a little wooden pedestal for elevation and to make it easier to look at.
Suspended Chrysalids |
Filming a Butterfly Eclosure |
3 comments:
must be quite an experience witnessing them evolve :)
Yes, Ken. It is quite magnificent. And if you like I will share with you a link of one of my videos :)
share the link with me as well kay...i love to see ur butterfly videos ;)
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