Painted Ladies in Our Tropical Butterfly House

Our typical pupae shipments do not include Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) although a lot of people ask if we have them because they are most often the species of butterfly used in classroom butterfly kits. Occasionally however, Painted Lady butterflies end up in our Tropical Butterfly House. Here is one story of how they found their way in!

Last October, Horticulture volunteer Deirdre called us because her second graders and another second grade class had just completed their butterfly unit at Parkwood Elementary School. Their studies concluded with over 40 Painted Lady butterflies in flight cages. Although it is true that you can care for butterflies in the flight cage from a typical emergence kit, there is not very much room for them to fly. As a result, many people opt to release their butterflies outdoors making sure sure the species is not invasive to the region before doing so. As a volunteer at Pacific Science Center, Deirdre knew that October weather in Seattle would not be optimal for such a release. The Parkwood Elementary Painted Lady butterflies were in need of a good home, so she got in touch with the Animal Care department. We arranged a release for the classroom’s butterflies into our Tropical Butterfly House.

Deirdre dropped them off herself, and with the assistance of Animal Caretakers Lauren and Katie, released each and every one into the house. Her students had each raised a butterfly, from caterpillar to pupa to butterfly, so Deirdre knew how attached they had become to their butterflies; each butterfly had a name. In order to celebrate their release, and give the kids a chance to say goodbye, Deirdre asked us to take pictures of their first moments in our Tropical Butterfly House.

When Deirdre showed her class the pictures from their release, they were so excited:

“That’s Turbo there! On that fruit!” one kid exclaimed.

“And that’s Kate! I recognize her!” shouted another.

The Painted Ladies from Parkwood Elementary School spent the rest of their lives in our Tropical Butterfly House and some of the kids even got a chance to come visit them!

If you ever end up with Painted Lady butterflies (or other species) in the winter, call us a week before you would like to drop them off and they could live in our Tropical Butterfly House too. Another solution: wait to start your butterfly kit when the weather is warm and dry, so that you can release your Painted Ladies into the wild!


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Raising Butterflies

Future biologists often enjoy raising caterpillars at home or in class, and watching them turn first into chrysalides and then to butterflies. The hands-on experience of feeding, tending and observing butterflies throughout the life cycle can spark a love of learning. Furthermore, kids get a frame of reference when they visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House.




Be aware, there are complications raising butterflies! We hope that those of you who wish to try raising butterflies yourself can learn from the many calls we get. We want you to have the best chance possible to bring caterpillars safely to adulthood.



To begin - the most common problem is timing. People may receive butterfly kits as a gift during times of year when rearing them is problematic. We recommend against starting raising caterpillars in the late summer, fall or winter. An entire life cycle can take as little as six or eight weeks, so you could end up with butterflies that can’t be safely released outside.

Pacific Science Center is always available to take in butterflies in this situation. Give us a call or e-mail first, so that we know you are coming. But a little planning can help you avoid the problem altogether.



If you find a caterpillar in the fall, it is best to leave it where it is. Left outside, the chrysalis will naturally adapt itself to changing temperatures and can survive even freezing weather. It can use temperature and day length to assess the time of year, and will not emerge until the season is ready. Inside, the temperatures may shock it into developing too quickly and emerging while it is still wintery outside.

Classrooms must plan not only around the seasons but around weekends and breaks. Pupae must be monitored daily, and planning ahead for weekends will help prevent the sorrow of coming in to a bunch of butterflies that emerged but had nothing to eat.



Not all butterflies emerge in good condition from their pupae. In an average batch of ten or twelve, you might have a few butterflies with crumpled wings, butterflies that die shortly after emerging, or even some pupae that do not mature into butterflies at all.

For some, this is a learning moment; for others it can be upsetting and sad. If you work with kids, plan for how you will approach the idea of death and physical damage. Be ready for some strong feelings and open discussion.



For most people, it makes sense to release native butterflies into the outdoors, and bring purchased ones to Pacific Science Center for flight in our exhibit. But once they have raised butterflies, some people choose to keep them in confinement, providing artificial nectar in the form of sugar water. The original kit for the caterpillars may have come with a small amount of food which will be gone. At some point, butterflies may breed and produce eggs. If you wish to carry on the life cycle, know what your butterfly species eats, and have that food available immediately! If you do it in advance, researching and finding plants is fun. Not so when hungry mouths are waiting.



Caterpillars and butterflies do not represent the same time commitment, either in years or in hours per day, as a dog or a cat. But they are completely dependant on us while we care for them. Still, we can become very attached and caught up in the outcome. Please take the time early in the process to plan ahead for the entire life cycle. It will maximize the educational value and cut down on the stress.

Sarah Moore, Life Sciences Manager

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