crumpled wings

[NickiM]

Woke up to find my first butterfly this year had emerged. It's been 4 hours and its wings are still crumpled. I've never had them still be curled so long after eclosing. I'm wondering how long should I wait before I euthanize this one? There were no signs of OE on the cat or the chrysalis.

[Mona Miller]

It must have fallen and couldn't get back up so the wings didn't hang to dry. Or, it may be too dry in your house. I spray my pupae with water twice a day. Air conditioning really dries out the pupae/chrysalis.

The wings won't straighten out. Either let it go in your flower garden or put it to sleep in the freezer.

Some one needs to invent straightener for Monarch wings (this happens to many butterflies). "Wing Straightener"--the next best thing to be born that way naturally.

[JoAnn]

Hi Mona:
Last week I found a Monarch on my lawn about 5:00 pm with a partially crumpled wing. It seemed perfect otherwise. I got it to climb onto a twig and I moved it to a flower box under my covered patio. I watched it for awhile then had to leave for a couple of hours. When I returned it was gone. I really don't think it could fly but wonder if something ate it. I really felt awful and wondered what else I should have done.

I like your idea of a straightener for a butterfly's wings.

[Mona Miller]

I actually had a butterfly with a crumpled wing last week. I was able to straightened it a bit, by pressing it out with my fingers and then I put it outside so it could have a little bit of a real life. For a day, it crawled around and then the next day, I saw it flying. I was clapping, smiling, and yelling... "You can fly." Amazing.

[skates4marty]

Wings are like hair or nails, yes? According to LiveMonarch's YouTube wing repair video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah0SBALIc0o
you can trim wings. So a couple of years ago when I had a B with crumpled wings, I ironed the wings. I used the video's trick of immobilizing the B with a wire hangar. The wings did iron nicely, but the B still couldn't fly. Maybe ironing would work on less crumpled wings. If I try it again, I'd refrigerate the B first to slow it down (as suggested on this forum). Comments?

[Mona Miller]

I've never tried that. To bad they can't generate their limbs like lobsters do.