Getting Started

Where to find your caterpillars?
Depending on the season, where you live, and how much time you have, finding your own caterpillars can be a rewarding task. The best way to find caterpillars is to look for the plants that are known host plants for local butterflies. If the leaves of the plants are eaten chances are if you look carefully you will find caterpillars. Alternatively you can grow your own host plants and wait for the female butterfly to lay her eggs on them. An example of some common plants and butterflies are listed below. (You can find more host plant species in our Regional Gardening Guide)

Caterpillar / Host Plant

Butterfly Species

Milkweed

Monarch

Spicebush

Spicebush Swallowtail

Paw-Paw

Tiger Swallowtail

Dill

Black Swallowtail

Random visitors photos:

You can send us your photos at photos@thebutterflyfarm.com, for more visit our photo galleries.

  • visited the butterfly farm a few weeks ago while on a cruise. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Got wonderful pics of the butterflies in the viewing room and lots of cute s ... read more

    - Heather

  • Our boys loved your garden and we enjoyed the tour!

    - Ru Yang

  • The butterfly farm was beautiful and the staff was very friendly!

    - AJ

  • What an amazingly beautiful butterfly farm you have. All the information we received while visiting was quite refreshing! Soo much we didn't know about these colorful little creatu ... read more

    - Guylaine Amos

  • Visited the butterfly farm in December 2011. Really loved what I saw. My grandson was excited. The punch at the end of the tour was good. Thanks to our guide for the information on ... read more

    - Gertrude Isaac
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