http://www.care2.com/greenliving/first-aid-for-butterflies.html
First Aid for Butterflies
Call me a wimp, but it breaks my heart to see a butterfly lethargic and struggling, on its last wings, so to speak. It makes me feel helpless. So I was surprised to learn recently that there are things one can actually do to help out a butterfly in distress. Who knew? I have to say, this made me very happy, if not a little guilty for the butterflies I’ve unwittingly left in the lurch in the past.
If you find a butterfly with a torn wing, you can tape it! I kid you not. You can try to carefully use a small bit of lightweight transparent tape to mend the wing. This may allow the butterfly to fly again and to live long enough to reproduce–it may even let it live out its normal lifespan.
According to my butterfly “bible”–The Family Butterfly Book (Storey Publishing, 2000) written by Rick Mikula (whom I have tagged the Butterfly Whisperer)–you can also feed a weak or injured butterfly a diluted sugar water; sometimes just plain water can be enough.
Follow these steps:
1. First of all, learn how to handle a butterfly. (Rubbing the powder off the wings will not prevent it from flying.) Be sure that your hands are dry. With your thumb and index finger, grasp the butterfly by the wings just above the body and as close to the butterfly’s shoulders as possible. Very light pressure is needed. If the butterfly seems agitated, turn it upside down. This will immediately calm it down.
2. Place the patient’s feet on a moistened pad that has been saturated with feeding solution (mix one teaspoon of sugar in one cup of filtered water).
3. If the proboscis does not extend naturally, help it out by uncurling it with a toothpick. Carefully place the toothpick into the center of the curled proboscis. It will look like a coiled watch spring. Then gently uncurl it until it makes contact with the feeding pad. You may have to hold it in place for a minute or so before the butterfly begins feeding.
4. Once the drinking tube is extended, watch for any up-and-down pumping action of the proboscis. If no motion is detected, take the forefinger and thumb of each hand and hold the butterfly’s front wings near the front edges. Hold each front wing, one between each set of your fingers, as close to the butterfly’s body as possible.
5. Begin to move the wings up and down in a flapping motion. This action may start the suction inside the proboscis and draw the needed food into your patient.
For some fascinating butterflies facts, read All About Butterflies
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16 comments
add your comment »And I thought I am the only wimp here! Thank you for the tip. I didnt know they write books about such things. I allways feed tired bees with honey and I tryed that on butterflyes too and it worked! After all is logical. Honey is made of flower nectar, the natural food of butterflyes. So I think honey is better.
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thankyou...
Kabin
Konteyner
mega kabin
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I second the comment about stressing the butterfly. Feeding an exhausted butterfly, on the otherhand, is a great idea. Just don't handle them too much... It is true that dusting off their wings damages them. Not maybe in your sight, but afterwards
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Thanks for the fascinating info.
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I have to agree with Shawna that sometimes you have to let nature take its course. On the other hand! If I see a butterfly (or dragonfly; I saved 4 this summer) caught in a spiders web I will very carefully remove it from the web and gently remove the spider silk from it's wings until it can fly again.
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Thank you! I saw one a few days ago in our yard. I picked it up so the dogs wouldn't trample it and put it on our outdoor table. I tried to help open it's wings and encourage it to fly but it just laid there. It was gone the next morning so I'm hoping it flew off. It was the prettiest (blue/indigo with purples and orange spots on the underneath of the wings) butterfly!
Much Thanks
Laura Conroy
KcDogRescuer@yahoo.com
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Just awhile ago, we were on our way to our next class and we saw a helpless butterfly. I love butterflies so I picked it up! I tried to release it but it can't. Then, suddenly, it flew and it was a wonderful sight!
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While this is great information, sometimes it is perfectly fine to let nature take it's course and to leave the butterfly alone. It is possible to attempt repairing a wing and end up causing more harm than good (read STRESSFUL for the butterfly). I care about all living things and make my living teaching others to respect the earth, but I also realize that nature doesn't always need human interfearence.
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oh my gosh, i am so glad i am not the only one.
this nearly brought a tear to my eye.
a lovely tip; i will be sure to carry tape in my bag from now on!
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Hey, thanks MelissA. I've always felt helpless when it came to injured butterflies. Hopefully, I'll e able to help some of them now. I've always loved them so much.
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