In a few weeks I will be receiving some caterpillars that will turn into Painted Ladies

I swiped this from a website. We have them in our area & r pretty common.

Painted lady butterflies can be purchased from a biological supply house as small fuzzy larvae—maybe as small as 1 cm (1/2'') long. They arrive in a plastic container with a centimeter or two of green goop that looks like guacamole. The ventilated lid holds a piece of filter paper over the top of the container. Keep the lid & paper on the container at all times. The painted ladies will spend all of their larval days, perhaps 2 weeks or a little more, in the container eating the food layer, molting, & growing to a length of 4 cm (1-1/2'') or a little more. They require no special attention other than to keep them in a well-lighted area, but out of direct sun & safe from temperature extremes. After the larvae r about 2 cm (3/4'') long, it is all right for students to remove the larvae from the containers from time to time for close observation of structures & behaviors.

Life cycle. In due course the larva receives a biological message to climb to the top of the container, spin a little knob of silk onto the filter paper, & attach its rear end firmly to the knob. The larva hangs head down & assumes a characteristic J shape, indicating that pupation is only a few hours away. If u r vigilant, u might be able to observe the final molt as the fuzzy outer skin splits near the head to reveal the smooth, curiously molded, slightly iridescent pupa ensconced in its chrysalis. As the pupa writhes around, the skin is pushed up & off the body until it is a crunchy little nub pressed up against the paper. The painted lady lapses into a period of relative quietude, hanging motionless except for brief fits of wriggling, especially when disturbed. At this time the pupae attached to the paper should be moved to a larger cage.

For a week or 10 days the pupa undergoes dramatic physical & biochemical transformations. The chrysalis gradually darkens until it is dark gray-brown, & the orange color of the wings starts to show through. This is when u can expect the adult to emerge, which happens quickly. The chrysalis shell splits near the bottom (head end), & the butterfly reaches out with its legs & grasps the outside of the chrysalis. The head comes out, & then the abdomen & wings r pulled free of the chrysalis shell. The emergence takes a minute or less.

The fresh new butterfly clings to the chrysalis shell with its soft, crumpled wings hanging down. Over the next hour or two the abdomen pulses as it pumps fluid into the veins of the wings, expanding them to their fully extended shape. During this time the butterfly ejects a splat of red liquid. Students may be alarmed, thinking it is blood, but it is a waste fluid that the butterfly unloads as it prepares for its new life. In 3 or 4 hours the butterfly takes wing as a flying insect.

Maintenance. Painted lady butterflies do not require much as adults. They will drink dilute sugar solution & fly around looking for mates. Place the cage where sunshine will fall on it for a few hours each day. If mallow, a common weed in many parts of the country, is available, u can place a small bouquet of leaves in a vial of water. After the butterflies mate, they will lay eggs on the mallow leaves. If u want to raise a second generation of painted lady butterflies, provide mallow leaves for the larvae to eat.

After a month the adults will die, not because of any ill effects caused by captivity, but because that is their normal life span. Even though it is never advisable to release study organisms into the environment, if a painted lady butterfly ''escapes,'' it will not be an environmental disaster—painted ladies r already well established throughout the country.