Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden
by Insect Lore
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.59 You Save: $15.40 (62%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Category: Toy See more product details |
|---|
Toys and Games Reviews of Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden
Customer Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this for my bug-loving daughter who is 8 years old. She wanted a caterpillar that she could grow into a butterfly, however, me not being a nature person, I did not know where to find one. So I took the easy route and ordered them on-line. We got our first shipment of caterpillars and to our dismay there was only one live caterpillar inside the cup. I suspect the others were crushed to oblivion by a food disc that was flopping all over the cup. My daughter was ok with that so we didn't bother Insect Lore about it. However, about 4 days later our one and only died. So I e-mailed the nice folks at insectlore.com. They asked for my shipping info which I gave to them. I also gave them the number on the card that you detach and save for you records. Be sure to save that card! It saves a lot of hassle if you have a problem. And be sure to read the directions because you are not allowed to open the cup. This was something I was not aware of when we first ordered it. I assumed the caterpillars would go straight into the mesh cage. Well, with no trouble at all we received a new cup in the mail with 5 live caterpillars! They grew to full size in about a week. I was surprised by how fast they grew! Three of them successfully formed cacoons and hung from the paper disc at the top of the cup, but two fell into the food disc. We removed them very carefully and placed them on a paper towel in the bottom of the mesh cage and the paper disc was carefully pinned to the side of the mesh. This was the most boring part. They were in cacoons for about a week. Nothing much to look at then. But when they emerged as butterflies it was very exciting! My daughter couldn't bare to part with the butterflies so we went ahead and just kept them. After the first one emerged I put some flowers with sugar water in the bottom of the garden. Big mistake! The sugar water leaked everywhere. It seeped through the bottom and stuck to my table. Not to mention, one of the cacoons on the paper towel rolled into the sugary goop while the butterfly was emerging and ended up with damaged wings. That one only lived about 4 days. So I tried orange slices, but they didn't seem interested so finally I tried apple slices and they loved those! So I placed fresh apple slices onto a fresh piece of paper towel in the cage every day. It was good to change it every day because it helped to prevent a fruit fly infestation. We had 4 butterflies that lived for quite a while. They even mated. I placed stems from my butterfly bush in the cage too and one day noticed little blue dots all over it. I placed those into a container and set it aside. The butterflies loved the flowers from my butterfly bush. It was fun to watch them suck nectar out of it. A second butterfly died after a few weeks or so and the third died at about 5 weeks. Now we are down to two butterflies and it's been 7 weeks! The little blue dots were eggs that hatched after 5-10 days and we ended up with a bunch of little caterpillar larvae no bigger than the head of a pin! That was possibly the coolest thing to see! Oh yeah, and there was some fruit fly larvae too, but I killed those. Yuck! We would have raised a whole crop of caterpillars if I hadn't messed up. I tried feeding the little ones honeysuckle and couldn't understand why they just kept dying. Then I found out they like hollyhock! So I got some right away and was able to save only 4 out of about 20. So for the past few weeks we've been growing new caterpillars of our own. Which is way cool because they are not in a sealed container and as they've gotten older we've picked them up and held them. I only worry about food supply with it being fall and winter is near. But I think they may go into cacoons in less than a week and then we'll have 4 more butterflies! I don't know that I'll keep it up through the winter, it is a bit of work, but it's been a lot of fun and very interesting. I've never observed caterpillars and butterflies so closely. Who knew that the little caterpillar heads fell off when they went into cacoons? And my daughter enjoyed putting her hand into the cage and getting the butterflies to land on her. But that proved hazzardous one day when a butterfly escaped. I was chasing after it with a container and piece of paper. I did successfully trap it and get it back into the cage, but what chaos it was! Anyhow, I give this one a high rating because it really is cool and the people have been great in answering all my questions. I would recommend this to everyone!Customer Review: Liked it so much that we are doing it again!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fun science and a great product. We bought this in March from Amazon, and quickly received the caterpillar larvae from Insect Lore after submitting the coupon information and paying the shipping online. The caterpillars hatched about a week after the larvae arrived. A couple weeks after they hatched, they started making their chrysalides. A few weeks after that, they hatched into beautiful painted lady butterflies. The process occurred exactly as the directions and all those science classes you've had over the years said it would. Living it and watching the process in real life is much better than reading about it, both for my wife and I, and for our six year old daughter. We all loved having pet butterflies.
The whole process takes about two months, depending on how long you keep the butterflies in their cage before releasing them. The cage is a cheap Chinese made product that is adequate for the purpose but could probably be done better. We wished that we had a larger environment for the butterflies to fly around in. My wife vetoed my daughter's idea to let them fly around the house. I was in favor of the idea. All 5 of the larvae hatched into caterpillars, and in the long run resulted in 5 butterflies. On "release day" 3 of the 5 butterflies flew away strongly. The other 2 had issues. I think that was my fault and not indicative of an inferior product. (let's just say to be careful during feeding not to drop any large sections of orange onto any of your colorful friends)
A lot of reviews on Amazon complain about the pricing of this product, but I think that it is fairly priced and actually a good deal if you do it through Amazon. Insect Lore is not a fly by night Internet company that is doing this to make a quick buck. They have been developing and selling these sorts of experiences since the late 1960s. Their model of selling the kit, and having their customers mail in for the larva may not seem optimized for the internet age, but considering the "shelf life" issues, and the fact that they started as a mail order operation makes it understandable. They have optimized the process somewhat by allowing the coupon information to be submitted online.
When we decided to do the butterfly experience again, after doing the first batch, I was annoyed when I saw that it costs almost as much to buy replacement larvae from Insect Lore as it does to buy the whole kit from Amazon. That isn't really a complaint about the product that I'm reviewing on this page, but rather shows just how good of a deal it is. We were ready for a new cage anyway after having the butterflies live in it for so long.
Your cost for buying this kit through Amazon is: ~$15 Kit from Amazon + $3 Shipping for Larvae to Insect Lore = ~$18 (~ because Amazon adjusts their price constantly)
Your cost for buying this kit from Insect Lore is: $20 Kit from Insect Lore + $5 Shipping for Kit + $3 Shipping for Larve = $28
Your cost for buying replacement Larvae from Insect Lore $15 + $5 Shipping for Larvae = $20
My bottom line on this is that you should buy this kit and do it with your kids. I don't know off hand what the age recommendations are for this, but I know that my 6 year old loved it. Any way to encourage science and technology for America's youth is a good idea in my book.
Customer Review: Hands- On Educational Experience, and Kid's Love It!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Live Butterfly Garden by Insect Lore is a fun, hands- on educational experience that is certain to appeal to even the most stubborn, disinterested child. With the Live Butterfly Garden, children get to observe the process of metamorphosis, right before their eyes. Starting with caterpillars, children watch the little critters eat food, create a cocoon, and then transform into fully grown adult butterflies. The butterflies can then be observed in their habitat for a while before setting free.
This butterfly garden is great for dozens of reasons, the most obvious of which is the educational value. Reading about insects and metamorphosis is one thing, but seeing the process live is another thing entirely. Kids get to learn how caterpillars/butterflies live, eat, and thrive; how to care for them; etc. They get to observe the caterpillars and butterflies at play and watch the butterflies eat their food, which is provided in the package. The caterpillars that come with the Live Butterfly Garden are painted ladies, which are not very common and will not be recognized by most children. However, most kids won't care- the fun of watching these small caterpillars transform into butterflies will have many kids gazing in awe, and prompt them to ask many questions.
This educational toy is a huge hit and my kids loved it, but there were a few small issues. One was waiting for the caterpillars to arrive in the mail. To get the caterpillars, you have to mail in an included certificate, along with a check, and then wait. It seems like an eternity, especially from the perspective of young children, and it took longer than expected. Anther problem was parting with the butterflies. Once you have the caterpillars and they have transformed into adult butterflies, the next problem will be setting them free. Kids will grow attached to their small, winged friends and will not want to let them go. Another minor issue is with the transferring of the caterpillars from their small container- the one you receive in the mail- into the actual habitat. The container that the caterpillars arrive in has a paper area at the top, where the caterpillars will hang as they spin their cocoons. This paper section is fairly easy to remove, but the problem is that the cocoons are very delicately attached, and that means that some will fall off when the transfer is made. You will need to pin this piece of paper to the inside of the butterfly garden, but the kit doesn't include any pins. Safety pins or straight pins work, and it would have been nice if these were included in the kit.
Still, when all factors are considered, the Live Butterfly Garden is worth the purchase and young children will enjoy the educational experience. Sure, it could be improved a little bit by making a few minor changes, but this is still a very good toy and considering my kid's fascination with the process, along with the educational value, it earns an easy recommendation.
Customer Review: Our fifth grade class loves these butterflies!
Summary: 5 Stars
I student teach in a fifth grade classroom, and I've discovered that this butterfly garden is the perfect subject for scientific journals and beginning diagrams. Our class watched five butterflies metamorphasize over the course of about a month. As a writing exercise, I asked each of my students to write a review about the butterfly habitat. Here is what they wrote: "I liked watching the stages of the butterflies. I liked watching the butterflies flying around." "It seems like the butterflies are cramped, but I like it because it has sunlight for them. It's a perfect habitat." "I like the butterflies because they are fun to look at, and they are beautiful. I have learned a lot about butterflies." "We liked raising the butterflies, watching them grow up, and seeing them go from a caterpillar to a butterfly." One even wrote, "I like the butterflies because I think it is a good learning experience. The butterflies are very pretty," and, "I like the butterflies because before they went into their cocoons I think their heads fell off!!" As you can see, the children really enjoyed watching metamorphosis in their classroom. I don't think they'll ever forget watching the butterflies grow up, so they will really remember the stages of butterfly metamorphosis. Overall, I would also rate this habitat highly. I was afraid that the caterpillars would take a long time to arrive, but they arrived less than a week after I mailed the pre-addressed postcard asking for them to be sent. (That was in February) The habitat wasn't as sturdy as it could have been, but its clear sides made observation easy when lots of children wanted to see inside. The teacher I work with is kind enough to feed the butterflies everyday, and it looks like a pretty sticky job! (The butterflies eat normal sugar water.) Feeding them after they emerge from their cocoons will be a little messy. It was incredibly easy to raise these butterflies. Even with 21 students peering at them and jostling their habitat, all five of the butterflies made it. Our fifth grade class highly recommends this easy-to-build, fun-to-watch scientific habitat.Customer Review: Tons of Fun!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased two of these, both as birthday presents for my 4- year-old son and neice. I received the butterfly gardens right away and sent for the catipillars to be delivered on a certain date, and I received them the exact day I asked! I was amazed. The catipillars were put in my mailbox on a VERY HOT day and those little guys did really well considering the heat. I would notify your postal carrier or leave special instructions if you can't get to your box right away, especially if it is hot/humid or real cold
We watched them all plump up and get bigger but only 4 of my son's catipillars cacooned and only 3 'hatched' into a butterfly. I am quite sure all of his would have made it if he wouldn't have dropped them in the crucial stage of cacooning. They were knocked off the top of the jar (where they are suppose to be when you put them into the observation box) but the three did just fine and we released them into our flower garden.
My niece's all died except one. Being heated in the mailbox didn't help them out much. I immediately called the 800 number and they sent out 4 new catipillars to her, no questions asked. All of them 'hatched' and were released.
I felt this was a very educational gift for both the kids and myself. We took my son's to daycare every day when they were getting close to hatching and all the kids thought it was awesome. None of us caught them breaking out of the cacoon but noticed shortly after as they dried their wings and started flying around. My son, who would keep bugs until they died, realized how neat it was to set them free so he now will catch something, watch if for a bit, then release it.
I highly recommend this to anyone. It's not around-the-clock excitment, but it sure was neat to think we 'raised them' and set them free.