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I called their number during their business hours (per their website) and got a message saying to call back DURING THE TIME I WAS CALLING. My son received this as a gift, and I have had too much trouble trying to order the larvae. The code for the larvae on the form in the box is not in the options on their website. I then tried to send an email via their webform, and it did not work either. I am going to try and find the larvae elsewhere.
Grandsons enjoyed the experience of watching the butterflies emerge from cocoons. The "pavilion" was difficult to find a place to hang. It is quite large.
The kids even got to hold the butterflies in their hands as they sat on a leaf. My kids, ages 3, 3, and 6 LOVED this toy. EXCELLENT TOY. Easy to do and highly educational. We grew butterfly friendly flowers in the yard to encourage the butterflies to stick around. Be sure to order during moderate temperatures as I read in another review that the delivery temperature outside can be too cold in the winter months to get good results. We ordered in VA in June and it worked GREAT.
The butterfly "house" could be a little more durable and the zipper sometimes sticks, which is why I gave it only 4 stars. Also, the kit guarantees that at least 3 of the 5 larvae will hatch into live butterflies.
He was so fascinated he sat still for HOURS every day in front of the butterfly "house" watching and waiting. (And he is a child that rarely sits still for more than 5 minutes at a time).The day the butterflies started to emerge from their cocoons he had the hugest smile on his face all day.
My 3 year old loves to watch the metamorphosis from larvae to butterfly on You Tube, so I thought he would enjoy seeing it in real life. This way, for half the cost you also get an extra butterfly "house" which also works well for housing grasshoppers and crickets etc.
He took the butterflies out for "walks" (like how we walk our puppy) on his finger and treated them like his pets, and then he eventually let them go in the garden. At $14 on Amazon (and no S/H and no tax), the pavilion is a great deal because if you go to the Insect Lore website (company that makes the Butterfly Pavilion) they want $15 just for the larvae plus you have to pay $9 shipping and tax.
This is exceedingly important when dealing with a 3 year old's expectations. Otherwise, it is a 5 star product in my opinion.
We couldn't see through the white mesh sides of the habitat. So the kids were picking it up and jostling it trying to get a good look. If I could go back in time I wouldn't buy it.
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