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.
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:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
great fun!:
This is a great educational item. You do have to pay $3 additionally for shipping, but still very well worth it. I enjoyed it as much as my 4 yr old did. When we released our butteflies to the outdoors we found them to be extremely tame and we got to hold them for a few minutes before they flew away. So be sure to have your camera ready if you decide to let them go.. what a great photo op! Then we caught a wild catapilar and kept him until he was a butterfly. He was really cool to have but he flew away... more info
FUN & EDUCATIONAL:
I bought this for my Grandson and sent it to him. It was a hit with
him. It's one thing to read about butterflies in a book, but a whole
different level to watch them grow and let them go, and feel you've had
a part in their care. Highly recommend.
Great learning experience:
Overall this was a great product for my child to observe. The obvious issue is explaining to your 6 year old how fragile these insects are and that she can't mess around with it all the time. That is why I gave the item a lower rating for durability, it's a look, but don't touch kind of thing. The kit itself is very durable and can be saved for future use!
We had a lot of fun with it thought, watching everyday in anticipation for our beautiful butterflies to enter into the world.
Love to see the butterfly:
This is the second times we got this product. The first one was a birthday gift for my son who was 3 years old. This time I got it for him, as he really loves insects especially caterpillars and butterflies. He goes to park everyday to catch butterflies and then releases them after 1 or 2 days. We fed the flesh flowers sprayed with sugar water. We love this kit. We received the caterpillars about 1-2 weeks. All 5 caterpillars are alive. They were tiny, seeing them double in size everyday is amazing.... more info
