Greta oto EGGS
Glasswing Butterflies (Greta oto) are small but never fail to grab the attention of visitors to the butterfly house - it’s not hard to see why! Their incredible transparent wings are a sight to behold, and butterflies exhibit fascinating behaviour where they gather in large numbers in the evening. Despite being from tropical South America, these little butterflies enjoy moderate warmth (around room temperature, up to 26 degrees C.) but will perish under prolonged hot conditions. In nature, this butterfly is found in shady, very humid locations and breeds using various species of Night-Scented Jasmine (Cestrum), which are easily obtained from online suppliers if you do not have any already. My favourite to use is Cestrum parqui as the butterflies seem to prefer this for laying eggs, likely due to its smooth leaves, and it is very hardy so can handily be left unprotected over winter. The butterflies require a source of alkaloids to produce the pheromones necessary for courtship and breeding - you can easily provide this using plants like Heliotrope or Groundsel (dried or alive).
Difficulty - Easy (3/10)
Host plants - Cestrum parqui; Cestrum nocturnum; Cestrum elegans; Cestrum roseum
Temperature - Room temp. or slightly warmer (high humidity)
Lifecycle - Continually brooded; adults can live for several months
Glasswing Butterflies (Greta oto) are small but never fail to grab the attention of visitors to the butterfly house - it’s not hard to see why! Their incredible transparent wings are a sight to behold, and butterflies exhibit fascinating behaviour where they gather in large numbers in the evening. Despite being from tropical South America, these little butterflies enjoy moderate warmth (around room temperature, up to 26 degrees C.) but will perish under prolonged hot conditions. In nature, this butterfly is found in shady, very humid locations and breeds using various species of Night-Scented Jasmine (Cestrum), which are easily obtained from online suppliers if you do not have any already. My favourite to use is Cestrum parqui as the butterflies seem to prefer this for laying eggs, likely due to its smooth leaves, and it is very hardy so can handily be left unprotected over winter. The butterflies require a source of alkaloids to produce the pheromones necessary for courtship and breeding - you can easily provide this using plants like Heliotrope or Groundsel (dried or alive).
Difficulty - Easy (3/10)
Host plants - Cestrum parqui; Cestrum nocturnum; Cestrum elegans; Cestrum roseum
Temperature - Room temp. or slightly warmer (high humidity)
Lifecycle - Continually brooded; adults can live for several months
Glasswing Butterflies (Greta oto) are small but never fail to grab the attention of visitors to the butterfly house - it’s not hard to see why! Their incredible transparent wings are a sight to behold, and butterflies exhibit fascinating behaviour where they gather in large numbers in the evening. Despite being from tropical South America, these little butterflies enjoy moderate warmth (around room temperature, up to 26 degrees C.) but will perish under prolonged hot conditions. In nature, this butterfly is found in shady, very humid locations and breeds using various species of Night-Scented Jasmine (Cestrum), which are easily obtained from online suppliers if you do not have any already. My favourite to use is Cestrum parqui as the butterflies seem to prefer this for laying eggs, likely due to its smooth leaves, and it is very hardy so can handily be left unprotected over winter. The butterflies require a source of alkaloids to produce the pheromones necessary for courtship and breeding - you can easily provide this using plants like Heliotrope or Groundsel (dried or alive).
Difficulty - Easy (3/10)
Host plants - Cestrum parqui; Cestrum nocturnum; Cestrum elegans; Cestrum roseum
Temperature - Room temp. or slightly warmer (high humidity)
Lifecycle - Continually brooded; adults can live for several months
Eggs or caterpillars - very easy to keep and breed. They need Cestrum plants to feed on, and nectar solution for butterflies. The lifecycle is very quick, reaching adulthood in about 3-4 weeks from eggs hatching.