One of the best thing to come out of Adelaide’s isolation period earlier this year, was my discovery of Bugs n Slugs.
The clever couple behind the company had pivoted, after their primary income – insect education programs – had come to a standstill. Their new focus was selling caterpillar kits, so that families like mine, could experience the magic of metamorphosis, by watching the beautiful Monarch Butterly larvae (caterpillar), turn into one of the most widely recognised butterflies on the planet.
The caterpillar kit was delivered to our door, and for a very affordable $35, which included everything you need to raise your caterpillar to a butterfly.
You receive:
- One monarch (or other suitable) caterpillar.
- Enough food plant to feed your caterpillar until it becomes a chrysalis.
- An instructional pdf and free access to their online videos via their Facebook and Youtube Pages.
- A free 15 minute Q&A learning support session with Kris from Bugs n Slugs via Zoom or Facetime
Our kit arrived with a milkweed plant ‘potted’ in a beer bottle, and our little caterpillar in a container – and it was as simple as popping the caterpillar on to the plant. They don’t go anywhere because the plant is the only thing they’re interested in. I was initially worried it would crawl away, but our little guy lived on the dining table, no problem. My only suggestion – pop your bottle on a tray or in a bigger pot to catch all the caterpillar poo! There’s quite a bit of it!
The whole experience takes around 2-3 weeks, with the caterpillar munching away for a few days (they can devour a whole milkweed leaf in under five minutes!) in preparation for their transformation. Overall they eat 200 times their weight in milkweed before forming a chrysalis which happens in the blink of an eye. We missed it despite our best efforts to catch it in action.
The chrysalis takes about 2 weeks to work its magic, before going from light green, to deeper green with golden spots. The word “chrysalis” is actually derived from the greek word for gold, “chrysos”. The gold spots on Monarch Butterfly chrysalises are due to carotenoid pigments from their milkweed diet.
Then the chrysalis starts to become transparent, with the wings becoming more apparent.
Before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, it goes a dark black colour. It’s quite fantastic! At this stage, if you’re not going to be home, don’t despair, if you miss the butterfly emerging, it usually takes them a day or two to dry out before they even consider flying.
We ended up popping our whole set up out into the garden, so the butterfly could dry out in the sunshine, and fly away when it was good and ready. It took about two days for us before he flew away.
In addition to the caterpillar kits, Bugs n Slugs even offered butterfly bouquets – which we were lucky enough to also experience. It’s really quite a wonderful gift to give or receive!
You can buy the caterpillar/butterfly kits on the Bugs n Slugs website here: https://www.bugsnslugs.com.au/shop/
And stay up to date with their availability and other great kits and updates on the Bigs n Slugs website here: https://www.facebook.com/bugsnslugs/
Bugs n Slugs are dedicated to the conservation of invertebrate animals through study, husbandry, education, partnership and creative programs. They offer a number of services including education programs for all ages and ability levels.
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