How to Take Care of a Chrysalis

Note color changes to know when to expect emergence.

Whether you raised a caterpillar or discovered a chrysalis in your yard, you can provide proper care to the pupa and watch the butterfly emerge. With smooth, waxy skin, the butterflies' chrysalis, or cocoon, provides a safe haven for the caterpillar to undergo its metamorphosis into a butterfly. The chrysalis requires no nutrition or clean up as the creature spends its time undergoing the transformation. The length of the chrysalis stage depends on the species, but most butterflies spend the winter in this form.

Things You'll Need

• Terrarium
• Spray bottle
• Water
• Cotton ball
• Sugar

Instructions

1. Set up a terrarium or other safe environment, so that the chrysalis stays protected. The room temperature should be comfortable for a person, and at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit for the butterfly to fly.

2. Keep the chrysalis on the stick it formed on and place the stick high in the terrarium, so that the butterfly has enough room to spread its wings immediately upon emergence.

3. Spritz the chrysalis with water a few times per week to keep the cage humid. This is especially pertinent as the butterfly begins to emerge.

4. Soak a cotton ball with a weak sugar water solution and place it in the cage, once the chrysalis begins to darken or turns clear, because the butterfly is ready to emerge.

5. Keep the cotton ball saturated for the duration of the butterflies stay.

6. Release the butterfly within the first week.

Tips & Warnings

• If the chrysalis falls off the stick, prop it against the wall on the ground of the terrarium, so that the butterfly can climb up the wall. You may also hot glue the chrysalis to the stick or a piece of paper as long as the glue cools slightly before touching the chrysalis.

• Do not overspritz or you will grow mold.

• When raising moth chrysalis follow the same steps.

• Do not touch the butterfly for the first two hours after emergence. Its wings are wet and they will not form properly if touched.

• If the butterfly cannot emerge on its own, it will die.

• If the chrysalis turns very dark, it may be dead. The Missouri Botanical Garden suggests gently bending the chrysalis at the abdomen, and if the chrysalis remains bent, it has died.

References

• Missouri Botanical Garden -- Butterfly House; Raising Butterflies and Moths; 2011
• Earth's Birthday Project: Butterfly Care and FAQs