Of course young people need to be able to find butterflies in nature if they are going to take an interest in their study. Thus it is very important that you schedule your study of these interesting insects during a time of year when they butterflies are present, and hopefully very numerous.

The dates for the "flight times" of butterflies are times when the butterflies will be flying around, and can be seen by your students. Butterflies fly around to find food and to reproduce. Thus, shortly after butterflies are seen flying, you can begin to look for their eggs on the plants which the caterpillar will be eating (the foodplant for the larval stage). Shortly after the eggs are laid, caterpillar can be collected.

Flight times for different kinds of butterflies vary greatly, and it is worth asking people (like Rudi) when they see butterflies in the area in which your school is located. We will try to establish in this web site a calendar for flight times for interesting butterflies which your students will find of great pleasure to observe.

When you see the butterflies flying around, then your students can begin to look for the eggs and caterpillar on the foodplants for the species you are observing. Realize that each kind of butterfly has it's own particular foodplant for it's larvae and it's own particular nectar source as an adult, although some butterflies share foodplants and nectar sources with other species of butterfly.

Hill-Topping...and Other Strategies in Finding Butterflies

Collectors of butterflies have noticed a behavior in butterflies which can help you find them also. It has been noticed that many species of butterflies seem to collect on the tops of hills. This behavior contributes to the successful mating of these species, and it is very useful knowledge in assisting in finding them. Butterflies generally fly up ravines, so this is also a good place to look for them. Of course it is also a good strategy to look for butterflies around the plants which are their nectar sources!

Hesperidae caterpillars (one of the four families of butterflies) weave "houses". When you be come families with what these structures look like, you then are able to easily identify where to look for the caterpillars. Different species of these types of caterpillars weave houses which look different from one another. Experience is a good teacher here also...and there is nothing like a "trained eye" to find these homes!

Care Must Be Taken In Raising Butterflies

There are two problems which you will probably encounter right away as your students begin to raise caterpillars to pupate and form butterflies:

1. The various larval stages of a butterfly (the caterpillars) eat a huge amount (these creatures are very inefficient at converting foodplants into caterpillars...generally less than 10% tropic conversion). Lots of food will need to be grown (or collected)...and lots of waste from the caterpillars will need to be cleaned from the containers in which the caterpillars reside.

2. Caterpillars are very easily infected with molds and fungi infections, which can easily kill them. The problem lies in having too high a humidity in the container in which these beautiful creatures are being raised. Make sure that there is very good ventilation through the container in which your students are growing these animals, and the bigger the better. A "Butterfly House"...a walk-in area about 10 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet, with screening on all four sides and ceiling would be ideal. These structures keep most of the predators of the caterpillars and butterflies out...and thus you will have much more success in raising them.

What Equipment Can Help?

A butterfly net is an essential piece of equipment if you are going to study butterflies. Nets can be obtained from BioQuip Corporation. The website and address for this Los Angeles based resource is contained in the resource section of this web site.

Collecting Butterflies Doesn't Mean You Have To Kill Them!

Using a butterfly net to capture butterflies does not mean that you will be killing them! The white netting of the BioQuip Nets allow the kids to see the butterflies through the netting. It is also possible to look at the butterflies while they are inside the net as you are releasing them. Often the butterflies do not leave the net very quickly, and the kids can sometimes convince the butterfly to perch on their finger on the way out of the net (and back into nature!).