Sudbury Butterfly Experience

08/10/2026

Here's an amazing opportunity to be a part of Monarch butterfly conservation and research! 🦋

Help track one of nature's most incredible migrations! 🦋

Join the and help record Monarch Butterfly observations, roosting sites and point counts during the Monarch migration in Ontario.

Your observations contribute valuable data that supports Monarch conservation and research.

➡️ Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qctOKJ

07/23/2026

The Oopsie babies are growing quickly, with most already in their second instar of the caterpillar stage!

For those wanting to obtain one of the $10 Oopsie kits, note that I won't have any mesh enclosures or other 'extras' available. I had literally sold out of everything and packed it in for the year, so haven't restocked anything.

If anyone will be needing a mesh enclosure, I suggest the mesh laundry hamper from Dollarama. A bit large, a bit tacky, but works like a charm!

🦋

07/20/2026

Oops 😬

We held a number of butterflies back from the last round for a planned release we have coming up. We went camping for a few days... not expecting much as it was only a few days and the butterflies were still emerging... but we came home to these guys.

Thankfully we have a limited amount of food remaining from this year, so we can feed these hungry mouths.

That said, we now unexpectedly have caterpillars again. Would anyone be interested in a discounted summer kit? Since these babies were produced at home, the cost per kit can be much lower. Thinking $10/kit, and they would be ready this upcoming weekend.

Anyone interested in a discounted summertime kit? 🦋

07/11/2026

You guys guessed mostly correctly 😆

I just spent the morning preparing these butterfly release boxes for a celebration of life happening later today. 💕

Each box contains, of course, one perfect Painted Lady butterfly who will emerge from it's box and fly away in honour of a loved ones who has left us.

Of course, they would also be beautiful at weddings, birthdays and the like.

I will offer these briefly each spring/summer to coincide with kit season... because I just can't raise butterflies in my house year round without needing a divorce lawyer 🤣

I spent years declining requests to offer these because of the added weight and responsibility it carries, but thought I'd give it a go. I think they turned out beautifully and I'm honored that these babies I raised will be used in a celebration of love and life today.

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

🦋

07/10/2026

Working on a new item I've been asked to offer in the past, but have resisted...

Any guesses?

🦋

07/09/2026

Happy birthday, beautiful!

The first of our butterflies has emerged, with many more to come!

You will know your butterflies are close to emergence when they turn dark and you can see the wing through the skin of the chrysalis body. Can you see the wing in this chrysalis? 🧐

🦋

07/06/2026

Every once in a while, Mother Nature decides to do things just a little bit differently.

Check out this tiny chrysalis, about 1/4 of the size of all the others. It's wiggly and very much alive, so we're super excited to meet the (assumed) very tiny butterfly that should be emerging soon!

🦋

06/26/2026

Round 2 kits!

Here's your reminder to scoop your p**p! 💩

In these photos you can see a kit containing frass (the technical name for caterpillar p**p!) and a freshly cleaned kit. Your caterpillars are likely getting large enough to start generating a good amount of frass, which will look like small loose pellets on the surface of the food. Please use your brush regularly to sweep the frass and any accumulated silk out of the kit to keep the food clean and maintain the open space of the kit (a buildup of silk web will interfere with the chrysalis stage later!)

🦋

06/20/2026

We had a great time at Onaping Falls Summerfest today! Many new faces and new cater-parents, and lots more babies moved into their new homes!

🦋