What is butterfly farming?
• Butterfly farming is a method of harvesting butterfly chrysalises from the butterfly host plants. The female will only lay her eggs on her host plant or plants. Butterfly farms maintain host plants, such as tropical plants, for different butterfly species and the captive butterfly population lay eggs on these plants. The eggs are then reared to the pupae stage for shipping. What is a host plant? • A host plant is a plant that a female butterfly selects to lay her eggs on. She chooses the plant carefully because the larvae will feed on the plant once they hatch. What do butterflies eat? • Adult butterflies feed on many items including rotting fruit, animal waste and, most commonly, the nectar found in many flowers. What is the life cycle of a butterfly? • An adult butterfly lays an egg. • The egg hatches into a caterpillar or larva. • The caterpillar grows to form the chrysalis or pupa. • The chrysalis transforms into a butterfly. What is the difference between a cocoon and a chrysali
