Tools For Butterfly Watching

Studying butterflies is enlightening and relaxing. Their gentle nature and beauty enhance our world. There are thousands of species scattered all over the world. Just like any other living being, different butterflies need different climates and plant life to survive. They migrate just as birds do.

So the first tool you need as a butterfly watcher is knowledge. You need to learn which ones are native to your area. If you wish to encourage these joys of nature, you need to learn which plants draw them to your area. They must have the right food, shelter, breeding grounds, and hiding places to want to stay. You could create a butterfly home if you want a large collection. A greenhouse with the right plants would be perfect to keep your beauties contained and safe from birds and bats.

Other predators enjoy butterflies and their larvae. Caterpillars are food for different types of insects, like wasps who inject their eggs into them. The eggs then feed off them, killing them slowly. It does sound like torture, but in actuality it's just another part of nature's food chain and survival of the fittest.

If you're a teacher, you might enjoy a butterfly kit for teachers. It costs around $235 and offers guides, a tools cd, materials needed to teach the unit from start to finish as the butterflies are born, live, and die, and nonfiction books for the students. Children aren't the only ones who benefit from learning about butterflies, but they're a good place to start so they can carry on with the next generation.

From caterpillar to egg-laying adult, the changing stages of a butterfly can last eight weeks. The Monarch is one of the more popular species studied, but there are so many more to learn about. There are groups dedicated solely to the study of the monarch, but if you only limit yourself to this one species, you're missing out!

Butterfly watching is a way to observe, catch, collect, and help preserve the butterflies. For some it's a hobby, and these people may only need simple tools like a pair of binoculars or a net to capture the insect for a close-up inspection. Binoculars can cost anywhere from $46 to $430 or more, depending on how much money you wish to invest and how important yours will be in your new adventure.

Other tools a butterfly watcher may need are:

1. Guide books
2. camera
3. albums
4. water bottles for long walks
5. snacks for extended watching periods
6. hiking boots
7. drawing pads and pencils or painting supplies
8. notebooks or a digital recorder
9. portable seat or blanket to get comfortable as you wait and watch
10. holding containers with ventilation
11. backpack for carrying supplies

Your butterfly watching experience doesn't have to be complicated if you plan ahead and carry the right tools. Someone who is studying them for a living would obviously need more tools than just the occasional hobbyist.