do you raise your own butterflys

[feralkitten]

if so how do you get them do you find them out side or buy them and if you buy them were from

i'm mostly asking as i am going to be rasing me 1st lot starting tomorrow that i'm taken from the wild . but its got me thinking about trying to buy a 2nd lot of caterpiller taht are maybe blue or rare or something that we can let go as well i'm maybe being a bit mad i just thought it be cool to have the two dif catpillers and see how the grow and change also i love to help start up a rare butterfly in the area to help the numbers

[Pete Eeles]

I strongly suggest that you see how you get on with the larvae you've found first. Rarer species are normally quite difficult to rear (depending on the species) and, even then, without a proper understanding of the suitability of any target release site, the provenance of the livestock and whether or not the release is actually legal - you may inadvertently be doing more harm than good!

Cheers,

- Pete

[feralkitten]

yes i'm aware of the law any butterflys i got would have to be native to the countery . i have worked with wildlife before and have had to put down rabbits and gray squires due to fact there not from the uk and cant be let go here even lo they were brought to us from the wild in uk. i been learning a lot and think i may do it next year as think i'm a bit late this year the sight i found send out the eggs . i found a few i think i will pick from all native to the uk but i will learn more about them before i buy them

[LauraS56]

You should inform your county recorder of anything you release - that saves confusion where something crops up in an unexpected location or in unusual numbers.

[Paul Harfield]

Hi
Good luck with your larvae. You might find some useful points inthe following thread

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5987&p=55129#p55129

From my experience, the best advice I can offer is:

Read the codes of conduct/laws
Avoid having too many larvae at once
Make sure you have access to enough fresh foodplant (ideally plan a season ahead and have supplies growing in pots)
Start with the commoner/easier species (as you have done)
Start with species that will go through a full cycle (ova to adult) in one season
Keep the habitat as close to the natural environment as possible and clean
Release any adults from wild stock back close to the original location
Do not release commercially bought livestock back into the wild
Above all enjoy the experience, there is no better way to get close to the early stages