Now you're ready to find a tenant for you butterfly house. Look for caterpillars in your yard, garden, or around your neighborhood. Notice which plants the caterpillars are eating and bring some home for them to feed on. If you can, bring the plant roots and all and repot in a small container to place inside the butterfly house. If this is not possible, keep a supply of their cut food in a plastic bag inside a refrigerator to retain freshness and moisture.
Caterpillars eat a lot so bring plenty.
Make sure you use pesticide-free plants. Place the caterpillars inside the enclosure along with the host plant. Once inside the cage, avoid handling the caterpillars with your fingers. You will know a caterpillar is ready to pupate when it stops eating and crawls around restlessly for a day or so and finally crawls onto the wood and prepares to shed its skin. A chrysalis requires a day or two to harden.