How to Spread a Butterfly (II)

This tutorial shows how to spread a butterfly on a home made mounting board. It is the second in a series demonstrating how to prepare a butterfly for display

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Butterfly
• insect
• how to
• entomology
• tutorial
• birdwing

[SmileyFaceEmo]

Lovely, thank you for sharing. I'm eager to begin my own collection. Just a quick question, however; In your videos, they have a triangle of pressed paper against them, I just wondered if you did that, and if so, for what purpose and with what?

[PriamusPoseidon]

@SmileyFaceEmo butterflies are stored/shipped in those paper triangles to prevent damage. They come that way when you order them and you should store them in the triangles until you're ready to use them.

[SmileyFaceEmo]

@PriamusPoseidon Would wax paper work to make the triangles? If, like me, you do not plan to order them but rather catch them?

[PriamusPoseidon]

@SmileyFaceEmo Yes, lightly waxed paper should be fine.

[kennysc12]

I'm only 14 and I don't know where to get the relaxing supplies or how to do it. Could you tell me where to get the relaxing supplies and the mounting board plus the frames?

[PriamusPoseidon]

@kennysc12 You can get the moth crystals at a hardware or home improvement store, you can order frames online, or get them at Ikea. I made my own mounting boards with wood glue and balsa wood, which you can buy at a hobby store or hardware store. You can also buy mounting boards online - do a Google search for "entomology supplies" but they're a bit expensive in my opinion.

[PriamusPoseidon]

@jenilyn182 spreading your moth should be very similar to this butterfly! the feather antennae of your moth may be a little trick to lay flat, and remember to properly relax your specimen (if it is dry) before spreading.

Check out my video "How to relax a butterfly (I) if you need to know more about that process.

[jenilyn182]

Thank you so much for sharing!! I just found an amazing Antheraea polyphemus moth at work and want to preserve him. Would the process of relaxing and spreading a moth be any different from a butterfly?

[PriamusPoseidon]

Thanks for checking it out. I have lots of videos of some pretty special butterflies on my channel, and I'm always adding more.

[AssaraxDemyx14]

thank for the vid!