Blue Morpho Butterfly Care Guide (Morpho helenor peleides)

Morpho butterflies are among the most spectacular tropical species to rear at home, and with the right conditions they are surprisingly easy to care for. This guide covers Morpho eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adult butterflies, helping you achieve excellent survival and successful emergence.

Egg Care

Morpho eggs are pale green, often slightly transparent, and have a distinct ring of black dots indicating fertility. As they develop, the eggs darken and you may see the shape of the caterpillar forming inside.

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Humidity & Container Setup

  • Keep eggs in a closed plastic container to prevent drying out.
  • Add no leaves until after hatching — fresh leaves release moisture which can cause mould.
  • Maintain humidity by a very light/fine misting the inside of the lid only when the eggs turn dark - this indicates the caterpillar is fully developed and nearly ready to hatch
  • It is essential to avoid droplets forming on the eggs as this can drown the embryo or encourage mould growth.
  • When the eggs hatch, leave the hatchlings for a few hours as they may eat their empty eggshells, then move them to a new container by hand or using a soft paint brush.

Blue Morpho caterpillars

Young Morpho helenor larvae feeding on Laburnum foliage - a leguminous tree species

Caterpillar Care

Blue Morpho caterpillars feed on a range of Leguminous plants, including:

  • Pea & bean leaves / sprouts
  • Peanut leaves
  • Wisteria
  • Laburnum
  • Related species

Conveniently, they also enjoy Willow, which produces good results, but we would still recommend Legumes if possible as this is closer to what they would eat in nature.

In winter, Reeds are an option, though many keepers prefer to sprout trays of peas or peanuts due to their fast growth and high nutrition.

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Growth & Development

  • The caterpillar stage lasts about 6 weeks (40–45 days) — longer than many butterfly species because Morphos grow to a large size before pupating.
  • They require no special heating and thrive at normal room temperature.
  • Caterpillars are colourful through their development, turning green before pupation.

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Preparing for Pupation

When ready to pupate, caterpillars will:

  • Stop eating
  • Wander searching for a pupation site
  • Attach themselves to the host plant or enclosure roof
  • Hang for 1–2 days before transforming, shedding their skin to form a chrysalis (pupa)

The pupae are bright green, almost spherical, resembling small decorative baubles.

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Blue Morpho chrysalis

Once the caterpillar matures, it hangs upside down to pupate and form a chrysalis. Note the silk pad attached to the top of the chrysalis - use this to pin it for emergence.

Pupae (Chrysalis) Care

If you have reared them yourself, Morpho pupae should be:

  • Left where they formed, for at least a couple of days to allow the pupa to harden, then
  • Moved to a separate emergence setup, outlined in our care guide for pupae.

Or, if you have received your pupae from us in the post, you should:

  • Suspend pupae using the silk pad, or by gluing the pupae to something you can suspend them with, e.g. bamboo canes
  • Maintain humidity and temperature by keeping the pupae in an emergence enclosure as laid out here.

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Development

  • At room temperature, adults emerge in 2–3 weeks.
  • Pupae darken significantly as emergence approaches, and you may see wing patterns through the casing.
  • When they emerge, the wings are small and crumpled - the butterfly needs to suspend itself as gravity helps to inflate the wings with fluid before they harden
  • It is essential not to disturb the butterfly at this point unless it is having difficulty emerging

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Environmental Conditions

Although not difficult to maintain suitable conditions, it is absolutely essential to the health of your pupae and successful emergence. The most effective setup is a polystyrene box as it is insulated and pupae can easily be pinned to the sides for hatching!

  • Humidity: A minimum of 80% humidity can be achieved by placing damp paper towel or cloths in the bottom of the enclosure, and/or misting daily
  • Temperature: A consistent temperature is important to avoid temperature shock which can damage the developing butterfly - a range of 20-26℃ is perfect and a slight drop by a few degrees at nighttime is normal and would be experienced in nature)

It is a good idea to have a thermometer/hygrometer (we use these) in your pupae enclosure to monitor conditions, as incorrect/unsuitable temperature or humidity can cause serious issues in development - these can be purchased inexpensively for a few pounds and will make a big difference.

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Freshly hatched Morpho butterfly

This butterfly had just emerged from its pupa and fallen to the ground (do not handle at this stage unless absolutely necessary). Note the wings had not expanded at this point, and the abdomen is full of fluid which will shortly be expelled

Adult Morpho Butterfly Care

Morpho butterflies are straightforward to keep during their adult lifespan of around a month.

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Housing

  • A spacious, well-ventilated enclosure as these butterflies have a large wingspan - a mesh enclosure of 60cm in height would be suitable for a group of 5 adults, whilst a 90cm enclosure could house a larger group of 10-20 adults
  • A source of light as the butterflies require a typical day/night cycle - a sunny location or under LED UV lights for at least a few hours per day would be suitable
  • Stable room temperature - this does not need to be as carefully controlled as for pupae as the adults are very robust, however they will be more active in a warm room

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Feeding Adults

Adult butterflies can be fed easily, you can see them unfurling their proboscis (a straw-like modified tongue for drinking liquids). Morphos particularly love:

  • Fresh fruit, particularly Banana, or fruit juice like apple or orange
  • Banana mashed with honey water solution (a very rich, attractive food source)
  • Nectar solution (either sugar or honey water) provided on either sponge or tissue paper so the butterflies can stand on it to drink

Offer fruit on a dish or feeding station and replace regularly to avoid fermentation, as high alcohol content can affect the butterflies' ability to fly or in rare cases cause death.