Butterflies are beautiful to look at, and collectors love to preserve various species to admire the pattern of their wings. If you ever find a dead butterfly or catch a species you want to keep, you can pin it in a display case or "wrap" it in clear epoxy resin. No matter how you display the butterfly, it must first be positioned in the desired pose. When you're done, you'll have a beautiful display that can last a lifetime!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Spreading Butterflies
Step 1. Put the butterflies in a jar with a wet tissue for 2-7 days
When a butterfly dies, its body will become very fragile and break easily unless it is soft. Wet a tissue paper with warm water and place it in the bottom of a glass jar with a lid. Pour 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of an antiseptic such as Dettol into the bottom of the jar to prevent mold growth. Put the butterflies in jars and tightly closed for 2-7 days.
- Small butterflies 2-10 cm long will only take about 2 days to soften, while larger ones will take up to 1 week.
- If the butterflies don't fit in the jar, just use a plastic container with a lid.
Step 2. Insert an insect pin (or pin) into the center of the butterfly's thorax
Once the butterfly's body has softened, remove it from the glass jar and carefully insert a pin into the center of the thorax or the center of the body. Use wide-tipped tweezers to slightly spread the wings if they are not already open. Insert the pin until a third of the butterfly's body is protruding from the bottom.
- Insect pins can be purchased at online marketplaces or specialized science and laboratory equipment stores.
- These insect pins come in several sizes, but you only need pins 2 or 3 with a diameter of about 0.5 mm.
Step 3. Spread the butterfly's body on the stretch board
Stretch boards are used to preserve insects so that their wings can be stretched out to dry. Grab the butterfly by holding its body with your hands or tweezers and place it in the middle of the stretch board. Insert the pins about 1 cm into the board to hold them in place. Slide the butterfly body under the pins until the wings are parallel to the sides of the board.
Stretch boards can be purchased online in fixed or adjustable sizes
Step 4. Extend and attach the upper wings so that they are perpendicular to the butterfly's body
Insert the pin into the main vein along the top of the butterfly's wing, about 0.5-1 cm from the body. Hold the butterfly's body steady with your non-dominant hand and gently pull the upper wing open using the pin in your dominant hand. When the lower wing forms a 90° angle with the butterfly's body, stick a pin into the board. Repeat this process with the other side of the wing.
Do not touch the butterfly's wings with your hands, as this can scratch the scales
Step 5. Extend the lower wing until the pattern aligns with the top wing
Once the top wing is attached to the stretch board, gently poke another pin into the top end of the bottom wing. Don't stab through the wings, but just push them open. Slide the bottom wing under the top wing until the patterns are parallel to each other.
The lower wings do not need to be pierced with pins
Step 6. Keep the wings horizontal with a strip of waxed paper
Cut two strips of waxed paper 1 cm wide, 5 cm long and about the height of a butterfly's wings. Hold the wax paper over the butterfly's wings and attach it with a pin. Place the pins just above the top and bottom wings so they don't slide or warp as they dry.
Tip:
If you are preserving multiple butterflies on the same stretch board, cut wax paper along the board and pierce pins at each end of the top and bottom of the wing.
Step 7. Allow the butterfly to dry on the board for 2 days before removing the pins from the wings
Place the butterfly in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, such as on a kitchen counter or other table. Once completely dry, remove the pins and paper from the butterfly wings and stretch board.
- Drying time may be longer, depending on the size of the butterfly.
- Be careful when handling butterflies after they are dry as they can be very fragile.
- If you plan to preserve the butterfly in resin instead of in a display case, remove the pins from the butterfly thorax.
Method 2 of 3: Displaying Butterflies in a Display Case
Step 1. Glue the butterfly to the foam pad on the back of the display case
Use the pins that were previously inserted into the butterfly's thorax. Prepare an insect display case or shadow box with foam padding so you can display the butterflies easily. Open the front of the box and press the pins into the back of the box to a depth of about 1 cm.
- Shadow boxes and insect display cases can be purchased at online market places or made yourself.
- Display lots of butterflies or insects at once in one display case or use smaller boxes to make a wall collage.
Step 2. Label the butterfly if you want to remember the species name
Use a small piece of paper as a label and write the butterfly's name on it. Glue next to the butterfly using insect pins so you don't forget what species you've preserved.
Tip:
Write down the scientific name of the species to make your butterfly collection look more academic.
Step 3. Close the display case tightly so that it is airtight, then hang it
Reattach the front of the box and close it tightly so that the butterfly is really durable. Hang the display case in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight.
- If you don't want to hang it right away, put the mothballs in the box so the butterflies don't start to get moldy.
- If the butterfly is exposed to continuous sunlight, the color of its wings will fade.
Method 3 of 3: Preserving Butterflies in Resin
Step 1. Pour a thin layer of clear resin into the mold as a base
Mix the clear epoxy resin into a plastic container according to the instructions for use on the back of the package. Use a rubber mold that is 2-5 times wider than the butterfly's wingspan in any shape, such as a flat disc, rectangular prism, or round ball. Fill the base of the mold with about 0.5-1 cm of resin. Pour the resin slowly to prevent air bubbles from forming.
- Resin can be purchased at hardware stores.
- Rubber molds made for resin can be purchased at online market places.
Step 2. Place the butterfly in the center of the resin
Pinch the body with your fingers or wide-tipped tweezers. Carefully insert it into the center of the mold until it is partially submerged in the resin.
Be careful when handling the butterfly because the body is fragile and can break
Step 3. Let the resin sit for 15-20 minutes until it becomes a gel
As it dries, the resin will first form a gel before finally hardening completely. Cover the mold so the resin dries faster. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to begin to harden.
Don't let the resin get really hard because the other layers won't stick together
Step 4. Soak the whole butterfly with resin
Gently pour the remaining resin around the butterfly so that the wings are not damaged. Soak the butterfly completely until it is encased in the resin and covered all the way to the top of the mold.
Pour the resin slowly and steadily so that no air bubbles form inside
Step 5. Allow the resin to harden for 3 days before removing it from the mold
Place the mold in a cool, dry place so that it hardens well. Leave it for at least 3 days to completely harden. When finished drying, peel off the rubber mold to remove the resin.
