How to order a Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Raising Kit

These kits are designed for every environment, whether at home, school, retirement home, community center, or otherwise. The kits also make incredible gifts for burgeoning enthusiasts, teaching lessons about life-cycles, transformation, and growth…often a child’s first experience nurturing the development of a wild creature in a time where there is more focus on screens rather than what’s all around us. Our easy-to-follow instructions make it simple to experience their metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly, the entire process taking approximately two weeks depending on your climate conditions.

If you would like to order a Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit – Click here

A. Ordering timeline 

B. Shipping information 

C. How to order a Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit – step by step guide

D. What are the next steps once your order is placed

E. Helpful Links

A. Ordering Timeline

We begin shipping these kits each year at the end of April/May – weather dependent and season permitting. These kits continue to ship in June and end of August, September each year. These kits are available for purchase year round but only ship at specific times throughout the listed months. We do not ship during the month of July until late August because of extreme heat, which is not optimal for shipping and handling caterpillars. Additionally, from late October until the end of April, we are unable to ship kits due to cold weather conditions. Releasing insects in cold temperatures outside their natural survival requirements, without a food source, may lead to their perishing.

We will do our best to ship your kits in the month you request, but if there are any delays or issues, we will notify you via email. While we have a substantial volume of kits available, we fill orders based on the priority they are paid for, so we advise placing your order as far in advance as possible. Prior to shipping out your order, we’ll notify you via email. 

Please be aware that the “as soon as possible” option does not guarantee immediate shipping; rather, it signifies that your kit will be shipped as soon as it becomes available, during our seasonal timeline. This means these orders will be shipped out as soon as they become available within our seasonal timeline, which may occur at the end of April-May, June, or August-September. Your order will then ship in the priority it was paid for. Once your order becomes ready and we have a shipping timeline available we will notify you via email prior to shipping your order.

B. Shipping Information

We exclusively utilize Canada Post for shipping except in rare instances, we may employ a third-party shipper when utilizing alternative sources to meet your order requirements when possible. The available shipping methods using Canada Post, from slowest to fastest, include:

1. Expedited Shipping (slowest)
2. XpressPost Shipping
3. Priority Shipping (fastest)

You have the option to include the livestock guarantee on XpressPost shipping and all orders shipped with priority shipping include the guarantee of livestock. Expedited Shipping does not offer the guarantee of livestock. We strongly recommend choosing either XpressPost or Priority shipping for a quicker delivery to your region. The less time the butterflies are in transit, the better. Shipping times may vary depending on your location, and you can verify the shipping timeline through Canada Post directly and you can verify the shipping timeline through the Canada Post by Clicking Here. Your order will adhere to the shipping duration outlined by Canada Post based on your selected shipping method.

Canada Post operates on business days from Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and holidays. It’s important to be aware that Canada Post does not handle the processing, shipping, or delivery of packages on Saturdays, Sundays, and during holidays. Therefore, if a package is dispatched on a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday, the processing, shipping, or delivery will take place on the subsequent business day. Typically, whenever feasible, we dispatch orders on Monday’s or as early in the week as possible, following the shipping method you have chosen.

Upon shipment of your order a tracking number from Canada Post will be provided by email. Please be aware that email updates from us and Canada Post might be directed to your junk mail or may be blocked, depending on your email settings. If you encounter any issues, you can reach out to our team at info@monarchbutterflies.ca, and we will gladly assist you. 

Using the tracking number, you can monitor the shipping status and estimated arrival date. If there are delays or you encounter any problems, contact Canada Post directly at 1-800-260-7678 for the most current information or visit www.canadapost.ca and enter your tracking number. Once the package is in their possession, they can provide the latest tracking and delivery details. For any other concerns or issues, feel free to contact us at info@monarchbutterflies.ca. We’re happy to assist you.

All shipments are made through Canada Post and shipped to the address provided, however, they may choose, at their discretion, to leave your package at your front door, a side door, with a concierge, at a safe drop location, in a community mailbox, or tag it for pickup at your local post office. Although we wish they can hand-deliver every package, it is out of our control. Please ensure you provide the most accurate postal address and any special instructions if needed.

In the past, we’ve used other courier and delivery services, and our experience has been that Canada Post takes the most care when handling our packages. After years of service, we developed a relationship with Canada Post as they are aware of the contents of our packages and use special handling with every delivery.

Upon the arrival of your order, refer to the easy follow instructions included in your package to raise hatch and release your butterflies. There you will find a QR code which will direct you to the Blog Post – Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit Instructions with the full set of instructions and with an instructional video.

To learn more about about our shipping policies in details please visit https://monarchbutterflies.ca/about-us/shipping-policy/

C. How to order a Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Raising Kit – step by step guide

Step 1: Type in your search bar www.monarchbutterflies.ca

Step 2: On the toolbar, press “Shop” or choose the third heading down “Butterfly Raising Kits”

Step 3: Select the Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit.

Step 4: You will be automatically redirected to the ordering page. The ordering page is where you can specify the desired quantity of caterpillar you desire and include additional add ons and options.

Step 5: Select Order Delivery: On the drop down menu select the timeline you would like your order to ship in. These timelines include and vary during the season but can be the following:

1. As soon as possible
2. End of April-May
3. June
4. End of August-September
5. September

Step 6: You have the option of selecting either the caterpillars in a larger cup with 5 caterpillars per cup or 1 caterpillar per cup in a smaller cup.

Step 7: Add a Hygiene Brush a minimum of 1 must be added to proceed. You have the option of adding as many more as you like.

Step 8: Add Printed Instructions a minimum of 1 must be added to proceed. You have the option of adding as many more as you like.

Step 9: Add Printed Poem a minimum of 1 must be added to proceed. You have the option of adding as many more as you like.

Step 10: Optional: Add Small Net Cage or Large Net Cage directly on the ordering page. Then type quantity desired or simply leave the section blank and do not enter a quantity number if you do not want a net cage. This cage allows you to hatch, observe and then release the butterflies. After its use it can be folded up and reused again in the future. 

Step 11:  Enter the quantity of caterpillars desired in the text box to the left of the “add to cart button”. Please note that the minimum order quantity  of 10 caterpillars must be met, we cannot accommodate smaller quantities and are unable to make any exceptions due to packaging and shipping costs. Caterpillars can be added in increments of 5 such as 10, 15, 20 etc.

Step 12: Once added to your cart, you should get a pop up window to check out or view the cart. Press “check out” and you will automatically be taken to the checkout. 

If you would like to continue shopping, close the pop up and continue shopping on our website. You can always access your cart and the checkout page through the button in the top right corner labeled “Checkout”.

Step 13: On the checkout page, you can choose to make a contribution, enter your billing and shipping details and place your order. Fill out all the required information, select your method of payment (Email Transfer, Credit Card, Debit Card Cheque, PayPal and other options that are listed).

Step 14: Once you enter your billing and shipping information you will be able to select the shipping method which are Expedited or XpressPost Shipping (guarantee of livestock not included) or XpressPost or Priority shipping (guarantee of livestock) and then press “place order”. We highly recommend opting for the quickest shipping options to ensure a shorter shipping duration. The shipping methods from slowest to fastest are:

1. Expedited Shipping (slowest)
2. XpressPost Shipping
3. Priority Shipping (Fastest)

Please note that we exclusively utilize Canada Post for shipping except in rare instances, we may employ a third-party shipper when utilizing alternative sources to meet your order requirements when possible. Shipping times may vary depending on your location, and you can verify the shipping timeline through the Canada Post by Clicking Here.

Step 15: Check your email for confirmation of your order. If you did not receive an email confirmation, check your spam or junk folders. If you still cannot find an email from us, please email us at info@monarchbutterflies.ca with an alternative email for you. As your email may have blocked our emails sent to you based on your settings and security. This is more common with organizations emails such as schools. Simply provide us an email where we can forward you this information.

Thank you for your order. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team by email at info@monarchbutterflies.ca for any questions or concerns you may have. 

D. What are the next steps once your order is placed

Once your order is placed we will notify you via email as soon as it becomes ready to ship within the seasonal timeline. Prior to shipping your order we will notify you via email which will include links to the instructions and other helpful links. This information can also be readily accessed on the ordering page, our website under the Blog Post section “Butterfly Raising Kits” or by clicking Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit Instructions

E. Helpful Links 

Here are several valuable Blog Posts that cover a range of topics related to the instructions of raising/hatching and releasing your butterflies. 

1. How to check total costs including shipping and taxes for your order
2. Caterpillar – Build a Painted Lady Butterfly Raising Kit Instructions
3. How to Feed your Butterflies: A Simple Guide
4. Warm & Cold Weather Butterfly Release Instructions