What do you feed a butterfly that just hached?

Answer 1

Same as Jacqui, I read that a new butterfly will not want to feed for about 24 hours. If you can't release your butterflies for a while, a sugar (or honey and water) solution like you use, made fresh each day, is a good way to feed them. And I always dunk their feet in a glass of water afterwards so they can splash around and get clean. I found a crumpled butterfly this time last year and he lived for 15 weeks on home-made nectar. He preferred it to fresh flowers And I too find that weak ones respond really well to it. I have noticed that autumn butterflies seem to know that food will be scarce and are more keen to feed sooner than spring/summer butterflies. My autumn ones are always keen to try food the next day, while only some of the spring/summer ones will do so, however if they have been out for 48 hours or more they are getting quite hungry! The more energy they use, the more food they need, so keeping them in a cool, quiet place will lessen their need for so much food.