Killing the Butterflies...
Butterflies can be killed with a "killing jar" (a jar with some cyanide in it) or by gentling squeezing the thorax of the butterfly between your fingers while it is still in your butterfly net.

Storing Butterflies which you have collected...
Butterflies can be kept frozen inside airtight plastic baggies... they can also be kept in a dried state or inside the relaxing jar (at least for a while)...

The Relaxing Jar...
Prior to "pinning" the butterflies, they must be "relaxed" in a container which has a very high humidity. The relaxing jar would consist of the following:

• A plastic (shoe box sized) box, with a top which fits tightly onto the lower portion...

• A sponge which is wetted, and located on the bottom of the plastic box...

• A wire mesh covering the sponge so that the butterflies do not actually get wet. Butterflies which get wet can get discolored!

• A paper towel covering the wire mesh...

• A "moth ball" (one is enough), which is kept inside the Relaxing Jar to keep fungi and molds from growing inside...

• A wetted paper towel on the underside of the top of the box...

Butterflies which are placed inside this relaxing jar become pliable, and can be pinned without damaging the parts of the butterfly!

Pins
There are a number of sizes of pins (from 00 to 7) which are used in the process of "pinning" insects. But with butterflies there is a need for only two sizes. You will need:

• Pin Size 3 to hold the body to the pinning board...and then to the surface on which the butterfly will be displayed...

• Pin Size 00 to hold the wings and other structures in the positions in which you want them to be located when the butterfly dries...

Mounting Board
A mounting board can be made of a number of different materials, but many collectors are now making them of Styrofoam. The mounting board needs a grove down the center which is about 5 mm across, and into which the body of the butterfly can sit while you are working on the wings.. The grove needs to be deep enough so that there is room for the legs of the butterfly so they are not dried in an un-natural position.

The mounting board should not be flat...180 degrees from one surface to the other. Instead there should be about 150 degrees of angle from one surface to the other...and the grove should bisect this angle.

Steps in Pinning Your Butterfly...

1. Pierce the body of the butterfly with a #3 pin so that it is perpendicular to the abdomen. Place the abdomen of the butterfly so that it is inside the grove of the mounting board. Stick the pin into the bottom of the mounting board so that the butterfly is held securely.

2. Using 00 pins, separate each of the two pairs of wings one wing at a time. Carefully pin each wing to the mounting board...

3. When the wings have been separated...and pinned...placed the piece of glassine paper over the wing while you remove the 00 pins. Hold the glassine onto the wings so they do not move during this process. Pin the glassine paper with the 00 pins to secure it, pinning the glassine outside of the wings.

4. Adjust cotton in the grove of the mounting board so that the abdomen is in the position you would like it.

5. Using 00 pins, adjust the antenna, and other structures, so they are placed where you would like them...

6. Place the pinned butterfly into an oven which is being warmed by the pilot light (not cooked!!) to dry it quickly (over night). Place it in an airtight container so that it is not eaten by other organisms while it is being stored away in forgotten places!

Glassine Paper (or other material to hold the wings flat on the mounting board)...
Do not use wax paper, the wings will stick to it. It is worth while to get some good quality glassine paper...which can be obtained without charge from the bags in which stamps are sold.

Tweezers...and other equipment...
You will also need a good quality, and very fine, pair of tweezers so you handle the butterfly while you are pinning it.

A good quality pair of scissors is also useful to cut the glassine into sheets which are the proper size to place over the wings of the butterfly which you are pinning...