How to care for a butterfly/moth? Any ideas?

I’m not a lepidopterist, but I remember seeing the butterflies at the Smithsonian feasting on stone (IIRC) fruit.

You could cut open some fruit (perhaps a mango, peach, or plum), and leave it on a dish for your little guest.

Oh, splendid! I can try that, thank you, Brian!

Does anyone know if I should put it outside or…?

You’re most welcome!

I would suggest putting a little in the house as long as it appears that’s where it wants to be. Otherwise, put some fruit outside too.

However, if you have any cats or dogs, I would suggest denying them any access to that fruit, because some fruit can be toxic to them.

No…lost my little dog…last year…:(

I put some maple syrup in a small bowl…apparently they like that, too. I drizzled a drop next to it.

Thanks again!

I used to hatch butterflies as a child. It can’t fly because it is too cold and it’s wings aren’t mature judging from your description of round wings. It’s most likely just hatched out of its chrysalis.

Keep it in a jar with some grass and put a cap of water in there as well as some honeysuckles, if you could get around to those.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and information….hmmm…now it is on its side. I thought it might be dead, so I gently picked it up and it started flapping its wings again. Is it attempting to hibernate? And I’m just disturbing it? It’s lying on its side, motionless on my desk.

I think I will try to find a receptacle to put it in…if it is hibernating. Or sleeping. Although if anyone has any idea what exactly it is doing (besides flying to meet its Maker) please let me know.

Really only warmth and not too much heat, can help its wings mature. All of the food it ate as a catepillar is more than enough to give it energy through out its beginning stages of getting its wings to harden (getting the blood to flow maturely through out its wings)

Thank you…very much….for your help. :)

You can also feed them on a sugar & water solution…….

The solution should be replaced at least once per week and more often in warm weather because this solution will ferment (spoil). Try not to place the feeder in direct sunlight as this will only speed up the fermentation process.
Mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil this solution for a few minutes. Pour cooled mixture into your butterfly feeder. Store the rest in the fridge.

Can you post a picture? I’m very curious as to what you have there!

It sounds like your butterfly/moth might be fading, which is what naturally happens at the end of their life cycle. Most of these insects don’t migrate; they just die when the season is over. Their offspring spend the winter pupating and emerge in the spring. However, keeping it comfortable is a nice thing to do. :)

If it doesn’t seem to want to eat or know what to do with the fruit/sugar solution, you can help it along. If you look closely at its face, you’ll see a curled up black thing. This is its proboscis, which it uses like a straw to suck up nectar. If you gently hold the moth/butterfly (by the body, not the wings), you can use a needle or pin to uncurl the proboscis and dip the end into the food. If it is hungry, it will then keep its proboscis extended and continue to feed. I’ve done this many times with the monarch butterflies we raise so they can have a snack before they fly off!

Keep in mind thought that some moth species don’t have working mouth parts as adults and never feed. They do all their eating as caterpillars. These kinds of moths (like the luna moth) live a couple of weeks at most, just long enough to mate.

I like to use crushed up watermelon as a butterfly food. Some people use Gatorade or 100% fruit juice.

Many butterflies this time of year are at the end of their life cycle. It sounds like it’s dying.

When I was a kid, I collected some caterpillars and put them in an old aquarium. I “fed” them leaves, twigs, dirt, and whatnot. Eventually they turned into cocoons, which I threw away outside. The next spring, I had a gazillion moths on my bedroom window trying to get inside…