The Christmas 2022 guide for chrysalis kit orders

Key Dates

Scary stuff, people! This Christmas business is upon us again. We don’t know how this happened either but we feel it’s necessary to make sure everything is going to plan if you order Chrysalis kits from us to give to your loved ones.

Australia Post has guaranteed Express Post delivery by Christmas Day if  sent on the 20th of December, except Northern Territory where orders must be sent by the 15th December.

This means that order taking will have to be stopped on the 19th of December (unless we sell out prior) as we will be busy packing them to send out on the 20th of December. 

How and when to place Christmas orders

You can order using the normal steps on the website indicating 20th of December 2022 as the desired date of delivery using the calendar feature. You can order any time (yes, now is good!). The earlier, the better as Christmas is very busy and despite us saying this every single year someone misses out. This is not some scare marketing strategy from us but a simple fact.

What to do when the Chrysalis Kit arrives

First of all, celebrate! Trust us, timely delivery is a big deal. Then follow the instructions to unpack and set up the chrysalis immediately. If you put it in a cupboard somewhere until the big day, it may hatch inside the wrapping and be deformed or dead. Please DO NOT post the kit to someone else once you receive it. It will not get there in time and the chrysalis will hatch in transit and die. Instead nominate the delivery address at the time of purchase. We can include a small message on a card to your loved ones with your kit for free.  Because we are super nice.

Once the chrysalis is inside the mesh cube, follow the care instructions supplied. As the metamorphosis is a continual process taking care of your chrysalis is important.  Giving the gift early is a great option.  And its probably the only options for people in NT. You can slow down the process by a couple of days if you place the cube away from sunlight in the coolest part of your house.  Monitor it closely. If it is getting really dark (images below), it will hatch within 24 hours so it’s better to make it an early Christmas present rather than have your kids missing out on the whole magic of hatching. 

If you have a chrysalis of another butterfly like an Orchard, the process of chrysalis maturation is not as obvious. The chrysalis will get slightly darker and a little softer. These changes can be quite subtle.

Releasing your butterfly

The timing of hatching varies depending on the temperature on arrival and the temperature during the transit.  Of course it would be nice if the butterfly emerges between Christmas and New year. And we will aim for that. But if it does not happen, please don’t keep butterflies in the cube for longer than 2 days. Butterflies are made for flying. They will not need to and will not feed during the first two days as their digestive system is still getting ready. The best place to release them is among flowers somewhere where it’s not windy, so the beach is generally not the best place. Keep your cameras ready. People who know how to do a slow motion video on their phones get amazing results. Feel free to share your pics and footage. We can’t get enough of the success stories!

That’s all folks! And the most important thing: don’t waste your money and forget to make a wish before you release your butterfly. We guarantee that every wish comes true, we just don’t know when..