We have done the whole Insect Lore a number of times over the years and every year I think, nah, we have done it enough and then someone asks and I order the caterpillars and the excitement starts all over again and I am once again glad that we did it.

Most people know about the Butterflies but just in case you do not here is the quick rundown. You need to have a Butterfly World ( Insect Lore Butterfly Garden (Packaging May Vary)) which is a large net that the butterflies can live in. If you buy the Butterfly world you will get a coupon for caterpillars, if you are return customer then you need to order new caterpillars (Refill Cup of Caterpillars (LIVE CATERPILLARS! No voucher to redeem!)).

They arrive in a small jar. And you leave them in the jar. There is food at the bottom for them to eat and your job is just to watch them grow and grow.

Once the have had eaten enough it will be time for them to change. They will create their chrysalides (normally on the lid of your container). Now is the time you get involved you need to transfer the lid and any extra chrysalides not on the lid into your butterfly world. Then you wait again, this time for the butterflies to emerge.

Once you have butterflies you need to provide food (the caterpillars come with a satchel of butterfly food) and you can also add some extra fruit if you like.

Watch them for a few days and then you need to release them.

So really not a lot of work required but a great activity to do at home. Now apart from watching the change why do we love it so much? I think it is the fact that the kids can watch the caterpillars and the butterflies up close. It is amazing when you get to see the butterfly stick it’s proboscis into some fruit, or when they are on the side of the net and you can see their legs or wings close up.

We are massive fans of this whole activity and the bonus at the end you get to release from extra butterflies into your local area.

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