Painted Lady Butterfly Life Stages, Adult, Living

Adults are fully formed butterflies and are great for displays of life cycle.

When you order adult butterflies, we recommend also ordering a flight cage such as our Carolina® Butterfly Sanctuary (item #674291). You can provide either flowering plants (petunias, etc.) or sugar water for food. For sugar water, dissolve 2 teaspoons (or 2 packets of sugar) in 1/2 cup of water. Soak a ball of cotton in the sugar solution and place it in the flight cage. Check the cotton ball and replace it when it dries or becomes soiled. Never offer water in an open container; the butterflies will fall into it and drown.

Because adults are the final stage of the life cycle, they will live for approximately 1 to 2 weeks before dying of natural causes. They need 14 hours or more of light daily to mate and produce eggs. If you do not want eggs, restrict them to no more than 8 hours of light per day. When raising butterflies in a classroom, the adults can live out their life span in a suitable flight cage.

Price listed is for 1 butterfly. Adult butterflies are shipped in large cups containing folded paper. If you need large quantities of adults, 3 weeks' advance notice is required. Note: Should not be shipped over a weekend. Carolina recommends that you request your order to arrive on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday (or even a Saturday) to avoid weekend shipping. Contact Carolina Customer Service for more delivery options.