Live Butterfly Kit: Shipped with 5 Painted Lady Caterpillars Now-Crafty Box Version

We received 6 caterpillars. One never emerged from the chrysalis; one died not long after emerging. Of the remaining 4, two were crippled in some way. One of those came out of the chrysalis with enough of the metamorphic goo on it to seemingly stick itself to the floor of the habitat; it could move, but seemingly never pull its wings completely clear. This led to much internal family debate over whether to try to gently free it, or to not touch it for fear of making things worse; following the latter course resulted in it tearing its wings, unfortunately. The loss of wing mass continued, as it flailed helplessly around, and eventually we started picking it up and placing it on the food or liquid container, as necessary, for the remaining weeks it lived. A second butterfly was only recognized as being unable to fly (for reasons undetermined) when it was unable to do so upon our attempt at releasing it. Finally, two of the butterflies were successfully released into the outdoors and seen flying around in the area for some days thereafter.We did have occasion to contact the store once, due to a concern within the family that the caterpillars had consumed most of their visible food, and received a reasonable response to the effect that we should be okay and not try to open the container.Possible areas of improvement:1. Attachment of lid to habitat -- I assumed that the wire in the lid would be the right size to penetrate the mesh of the habitat, or (at least) stiff enough to allow me to force it through, for purposes of hanging the lid per the instructions. I was wrong. The wire was too big and buckled easily, leaving me trying to desperately attach the unattachable without damaging the half-dozen chrysalides on the lid. Eventually, I had to poke a hole through the mesh with a pencil, which was a less-than-ideal solution, but the best that could be accomplished under the circumstances. Assuming the habitat is a mass-purchased laundry item of some sort, and therefore not readily adjustable by the store, the simplest solution would probably be to go with a more rigid wire, OR document a suggestion for enlarging the mesh (e.g. awl, ice pick, tooth pick, specified-size drill bit) to the necessary diameter.2. Attachment of hanging piece to lid -- Nothing in the instructions prepared me for having the lid suddenly fall completely off while struggling to make the attachment described above. One minute I was working with the hanging wire as part of an assembly that included the entire lid, and then, suddenly, the lid itself dropped to the floor of the habitat. The actual piece on which the chrysalides were suspended remained intact, and was fine, but I'm not sure whether that was supposed to happen. Was there something I needed to do to intentionally cause that separation at the beginning, or was there something I should have done to prevent it? Either way, the instructions could be clarified.3. Other items that could be addressed in the instructions or on-line FAQ -- It wasn't obvious to me exactly where in the habitat I should attempt to attach the hanger with the chrysalides; I assumed that there was probably no wrong place (although I tried to err on the side of not being too high), but this could perhaps be clarified. Should we have tried to help the partially-stuck butterfly before it tore its wings, or was a hands-off approach the generally-correct course of action? Maybe scenarios such as this could be noted in some way. After the first day or so, the butterflies tended not to fly to any significant height within the habitat, but instead remained within a foot or so of the bottom; I don't know if this was normal, or influenced by the ambient conditions we provided; possibly this could be discussed in terms of siting or expectations. These are in addition to the instructional clarifications mentioned in the previous items.So, after all that, why am I giving this 5 stars? Well, I don't see how the store could reasonably be responsible for how many butterflies end up living, for how long, and under what condition. Bottom line, we received more than the specified number of caterpillars, and most of them turned into butterflies. Taking care of the ones that didn't fare so well was as fulfilling and instructional for the family (maybe more so, in some ways) as being able to release the ones that did best. We paid for the experience, with all the open-endedness that entails, and we received what we paid for. It was well worth it. My comments above are the feedback of a customer who is not dissatisfied, but rather wants others to be prepared for possible pitfalls, and thinks the suggested refinements would help make a good product even better.

This product came with just the caterpillars, a small butterfly feeding dish, some plastic flowers, cardboard butterflies, and a box that looked like a cake box, cardboard with a clear film on the top. There was no screen habitat included for the butterflies, although the instructions said "Prepare the habitat". So now I have five caterpillars that have made their chrysalis, and no place to put them. My little grandsons are so disappointed. I think this product was a bait and switch. Do not purchase this item, unless you also plan to purchase a butterfly habitat separately.

1st time around, some (2-3) arrived dead. some others died after they arrived. when I asked for pillars to be replaced I received a message somehow insinuating it was my fault. then seconds were sent to me and those all died too. but this time 2 turned into chrysalis. they just died in that stage. please don't waste your time or money to break your toddlers heart with this product.

I decided to get this kit because it came with the actual live caterpillars and food, versus the other popular ones where you have to wait weeks later to get them. It was so worth it! Came within a week, all 5 caterpillars were alive and crawling around in the cup with the food. You don't have to do anything except watch them grow. Once they formed their chrysalides, you transfer them to the netting. We just saw them come out as butterflies yesterday and will release them in a day or so. It was very exciting and miraculous to watch the entire process. I would highly recommend this kit over other ones where you have to get everything separately. Worth every penny!

This product came ahead of schedule with 7 caterpillars. All of our caterpillars turned into chrysalis as of this morning 4 butterfly’s have emerged. My daughter loved decorating and setting up her habitat as well as checking everyday to see the growth and progress of our butterfly’s. Would highly recommend

I got this for myself. It comes with everything you need- detailed instructions, food for the caterpillars, food for the butterflies, tools to make butterfly nectar, and a hanging net home for the butterflies after they emerge from the chrysalis! I actually bought a tall vivarium to put my butterflies in before I release them, so I don't need the net home, but they really thought of everything! My caterpillars are still growing, but I can tell they are getting bigger and bigger each day. I can't wait to see my beauties when they finish their transformation!

We were so excited to have our 2.5 year old learn and watch the lifecycle of these caterpillars. All came as described. We placed the cup of caterpillars in a calm non-sunny typically 68 degree living room. All was going well after day one. Caterpillars started moving and eating. About the fifth day a couple started crawling to the top of the cup. We noticed one attempt to attach to the top. We woke expecting to see some progress, but sadly some caterpillars were no longer moving. Next day, all we’re dead. Sadly, we had to explain to our toddler they got sick and had to go to the doctor... forever. We followed the directions to a T, so maybe something else affected the caterpillars. We’ll order new caterpillars (most likely from a different company) to give this another try. Very disappointing.

This was nice! Kids loved watching the transition. All the caterpillars were alive and hanging in there, but didn't all make it to the butterfly stage. We had a special ceremony for the butterflies before releasing them. If you could time it right, this would be great to do with an eye towards an Earth Day release. You need about 3-4 weeks total.