Buterfly larval food recipe

[Kathleen Moon]

>
> Dear Jim,
>
> Southland Corp. makes an excellent multiple-species mix that works well for
> several kinds of butterflies.  You mix it in a blender and use boiling
> water.  Have some chopped-up leaves from any host plant for that particular
> butterfly ready on the countertop.  After you blend the mix and the boiling
> water very well, then throw in the leaves and let them blend for just a
> minute.  You want the diet to be chunky with leaves and pieces.. you don't
> want to liquify the leaves completely.  Obviously, you use milkweed for
> Monarchs, thistle (ouch! eee!) and malva/mallow or soybean plant for
> PL's.... Insect Lore makes a GREAT Painted Lady diet and Bethany Homeyer of
> Michael's Fluttering Wings mixes up just about the best artificial diets on
> the planet.  My caterpillars think so anyway.  So, if you want to mix it
> yourself and you have the leaves to go in it (lots) the number for
> Southland is (870) 265-3747.  If you want A-1 premixed stuff, call Bethany
> at (512) 547-5568.  To make it worth the shipping, order a large volume
> from Bethany.  I think it keeps for quite awhile.
>
> More diet information and recipes can be found in Nigel's and my upcoming
> butterfly breeder's manual, which you can E-Mail me and I'll reserve a copy
> for you.  It is to be an excellent resource for information on a WIDE
> variety of topics and butterfly species, and vendor/supplier lists of all
> kind.
 
One thing you forgot: make sure the blender is **very** thoroughly
cleaned before using it for anything else.  Some of the host plants used
by lep larvae are chock full of stuff we humans can't handle at all.
Besides, a painted lady caterpillar probably would be able to handle the
toxins a monarch needs; likewise a swallowtail and a sphinx,
respectively.