How to Catch a Butterfly Without Hurting It: A Step-by-Step Guide

To catch a butterfly without hurting it, use a soft, deep butterfly net, approach slowly from behind while it sits on a flower, swing low and level, and flip the bag over the rim so it cannot fly out. Then pick it up by the front edge of its closed forewings, never by the middle of the wing. That is the whole trick, and the rest of this guide shows you exactly how to do each step.

I have been catching butterflies for most of my life, for my own collection, for rearing at home, and very often just to have a closer look before I let them go. The technique is the same in every case. A butterfly that was caught well flies off afterwards like nothing happened. One that was caught badly has a bald patch on its wing for the rest of its life.

The short version

• Use a real butterfly net. A hoop 30 to 40 cm across, a soft fine mesh bag about twice as deep as the hoop is wide.
• Go when it is warm and sunny, and look where butterflies feed, bask and drink.
• Approach from behind, slowly, and never let your shadow fall on the butterfly.
• Swing low and level, not hard, then turn the net so the bag folds over the rim.
• Hold it only by the leading edge of the closed forewings.
• Carry it in a glassine envelope or a mesh cage, out of the heat, or let it go on the spot.

Before you go: check what is protected

Rules differ from country to country, sometimes from region to region. Some species are protected and may not be caught at all, and some places, such as nature reserves, are off limits no matter what is flying there. Look up your local regulations before your first trip. And a simple rule that never fails: if you do not know what it is, do not catch it.

What you need

You can try to catch a butterfly with your hands, and further down I explain why I do not recommend it. A proper net is kinder to the butterfly, not just easier for you. It closes around the insect softly, and once the butterfly is in the bag, it is protected from you as much as from anything else.

Here is what makes a net good:

• A hoop 30 to 40 cm across. Smaller and you keep missing, bigger and the net gets heavy and slow in the air.
• A deep bag. Roughly twice as deep as the hoop is wide. That depth is what lets you fold the bag over the rim and lock the butterfly inside.
• Soft, fine mesh. Stiff or coarse mesh scrapes the scales off the wings on contact. This is where cheap toy nets fail.
• A handle up to about 1.5 m. Long enough to reach a butterfly sitting on a shrub or a thistle top. A telescopic pole you can extend in the field is even better.

My Butterfly Net + Frame comes in 30, 35, 40 and 50 cm and fits my telescopic net poles, from a light 115 cm walking pole up to 5 m for the treetops. If you want to keep what you catch alive for a while, add a portable mesh field cage or a few glassine envelopes, and a pair of soft forceps. More about both below.

Where and when to look

Butterflies are cold-blooded. They need the sun to warm up before they can fly, so the best days are warm, sunny and calm, and the best hours run from mid-morning to early afternoon. On a cloudy, cool day you will see almost nothing.

There is one exception that works in your favor. Early in the morning, many butterflies sit with their wings spread open toward the sun, warming up before they can fly properly. A basking butterfly is slow and easy to approach. If you want a specific species, go early.

Places worth checking:

• Flowering meadows and field edges. Knapweed, thistles, scabious, marjoram, clover and lucerne are butterfly magnets.
• Forest edges and clearings, where sunny flowers meet shelter.
• Damp mud, puddles and riverbanks. Butterflies, mostly males, gather there to drink water with dissolved minerals. It is called puddling, and sometimes you find a dozen of them sitting together.
• Hilltops. Males of many species fly up to the highest point around and patrol it, waiting for females. It is called hilltopping, and swallowtails are the classic example. In Europe and Asia, the top of a hill or any raised spot in the landscape is where you most often find the swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and the scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius).

One more thing that helps a lot. Many butterflies come back to the same spot. A male chased off his favorite perch usually circles around and lands in the same place a minute later. If you miss, do not run after it. Stand still and wait.

How to catch a butterfly with a net, step by step

1. Wait until it lands

Chasing a butterfly through a meadow almost never works, and a swing at full speed is exactly what damages it. Let it settle on a flower. A butterfly that is feeding is focused on the flower, not on you.

2. Approach slowly, from behind

Butterflies see movement very well and they react to shadows. Walk in slowly, a little from behind and from the side, and keep the sun in front of you so your shadow falls behind you, never on the butterfly. Keep the net low and quiet until the last moment. No sudden moves.

3. Swing low and level, not hard

Bring the net in from the side or from behind, level with the flower, and sweep it through in one smooth motion. Do not strike down from above onto the flower, you will only crush the butterfly against the plant. And do not swing hard. A violent swing throws the butterfly against the mesh and damages it inside the net.

4. Flip the bag over the rim

This is the step that separates a caught butterfly from one that flies back out. Right after the swing, turn your wrist so the hoop rotates and the loose end of the bag folds back over the rim. The bag closes off like a pouch and the butterfly is trapped in the bottom of it.

5. Take a look and decide

Hold the net with the hoop flat or slightly tilted so the bag hangs below it. Butterflies always try to go up toward the light, so it will usually climb into the top of the bag. Now you can look at it through the mesh in peace and decide what happens next: let it go, keep it for rearing, or keep it for a collection.

When the butterfly sits low: lay the net over it

Sometimes a butterfly sits on short grass, on the ground or on a puddle and there is no room to swing. In that case, do not swing at all. Lower the net gently over it from above so the hoop rests flat on the vegetation around the butterfly. Then take the very tip of the bag and lift it straight up.

The butterfly will fly up toward the light into the raised end of the bag, all on its own. Once it is up there, pinch the bag below it with your hand or turn the hoop over and you have it. It sounds slower than a swing, but it is the gentlest catch there is.

How to pick up a butterfly without hurting it

The wings of a butterfly are covered in tiny scales, the colored dust that stays on your fingers when you touch one. Those scales never grow back. So the rule is simple: handle the wings as little as possible, and only in one place.

That place is the leading edge of the forewings, the stiff front margin, with both wings closed together over the back. That edge is the reinforced part of the wing. Held there, nothing bends, nothing tears and almost nothing rubs off.

• Wait until the wings close. A butterfly in the net or on a flower closes its wings at rest. That is your moment.
• Use soft forceps if you can. They press the least and they are the safest. Fingers work too if you are gentle.
• Never grip the middle of the wing. One touch strips the scales off.
• Never squeeze the body. The thorax is easily crushed, even if it looks sturdy.

To get it out of the net, let it climb up into the top of the bag, reach in slowly with the forceps or your fingers, and take it by that edge. Do not try to grab it while it is beating its wings. Give it a few seconds, it will calm down and close them.

How to catch a butterfly without a net

It can be done, but I will be honest with you: I do not recommend it. Butterflies are fast, they see you coming, and your hands are always rougher on their wings than a net. Most attempts end with either an empty hand or a damaged butterfly. With beetles, bugs and other sturdier insects, catching by hand works much better. With butterflies, get a net.

If you still want to try, two methods give you the best chance.

The cup method. Take a clear plastic cup or a jar. Wait until a butterfly is feeding on a flower, lower the cup over it slowly, and slide a piece of stiff paper or card under the rim. You can now watch it up close. Keep it out of the sun and let it go within a few minutes, a closed container heats up very fast.

The finger method. Approach a feeding butterfly from behind while its wings are closed. Bring your thumb and index finger in slowly and close them gently on the front edge of both forewings at once. Gently is the key word. You are holding it, not pinching it.

And the one thing that never works: grabbing a butterfly out of the air or clapping your hands around it. That is how wings get crushed.

What to do with it next

Let it go

Most of the butterflies I catch go straight back. Open your fingers or the net in the same spot where you caught it and let it fly off on its own. Do not throw it into the air. If it sits on your hand for a while, that is fine, it is just warming up.

Take it home alive

If you want to rear butterflies from a caught female, she has to get home in good shape. I use a glassine envelope: slide her in with her wings closed and fold the flap over. In the dark, with her wings held together, she calms down, stops beating and cannot damage herself. Put the envelopes into a small rigid box so nothing crushes them in your bag.

If you want to keep watching it, or you are out with kids, a mesh field cage is the easier choice. It hangs on your wrist, the mesh lets air through, and the butterfly has room to sit.

Whichever you use, the one thing that kills a caught butterfly is heat. A closed jar or a bag in the sun, the rear shelf of a car, a backpack lying on hot ground. Keep it in the shade and get home quickly. The whole process from there, feeding, egg laying and rearing, is in my guide How to Rear Butterflies at Home.

Keep it for a collection

Butterflies for a collection are traditionally carried in glassine envelopes or paper triangles too, so the wings stay closed and undamaged until you are ready to set them. How to get a butterfly from the envelope to a finished specimen is covered step by step in How to Pin a Butterfly, and if you are just starting, A Beginner's Guide to Butterfly Collecting covers the basics. Only keep what you really want. Everything else can go back where it came from.

What about moths?

Most moths fly at night, and swinging a net in the dark does not get you far. Instead, you let them come to you. On a warm, cloudy, windless night, hang a white sheet and put an ultraviolet light in front of it. Moths fly in, sit on the sheet, and you can look at them, photograph them, or put them carefully into a container without a single swing. My UV moth light is made exactly for this and runs from a power bank, so you can use it anywhere.

Lights, wavelengths, power in the field, traps and the best nights are all covered in my full guide Moth Light Trapping: How to Attract and Catch Moths at Night.

Mistakes almost everyone makes

• Chasing it. Stand still and wait for it to land, or to come back.
• Swinging hard. Speed does not catch butterflies, timing does.
• Striking down onto the flower. Swing level, or lay the net over it and lift the bag.
• Forgetting to flip the bag. Without the flip, half of your catches fly back out.
• Grabbing the wing in the middle. Front edge of the closed forewings, every time.
• Leaving it in a jar in the sun. Minutes are enough to kill it.
• A cheap net with stiff mesh. It damages every butterfly it touches.

Gear list

• A butterfly net with a 30 to 40 cm hoop and a deep, soft bag
• A telescopic pole, about 1.5 m is the right length for most meadows
• Soft forceps for taking the butterfly out of the net
• Glassine envelopes and a small rigid box, or a mesh field cage
• A UV light and a white sheet if you want to try moths

If you want all of it in one box, the Master Butterfly Collector KIT comes with a 35 cm net, a 1.5 m telescopic rod, tweezers, 100 paper envelopes and everything for pinning on top. And if you are not sure which kit fits you, here is a quick comparison. For keeping a caught female at home, have a look at my mesh breeding cages.

Questions about any of this? Just write me at info@entomoboxes.com, I am always happy to help.

FAQ

What is the easiest way to catch a butterfly? With a proper butterfly net. Wait until the butterfly settles on a flower, come in slowly from behind so your shadow does not fall on it, swing low and level, then turn the net so the bag folds over the rim. A net is far gentler on the wings than your hands.

How do you catch a butterfly without a net? It is possible, but not recommended, it is hard and the butterfly often ends up damaged. If you want to try, wait for one feeding on a flower with its wings closed, then either lower a clear cup over it and slide a card underneath, or gently take the front edge of both closed forewings between finger and thumb. Never grab it out of the air. For butterflies, a net is always the better choice.

How do you hold a butterfly without hurting it? By the leading edge of the forewings, the stiff front margin, with the wings closed together over its back. Do not hold it by the middle of the wing, which rubs the scales off, and do not squeeze the body.

Do butterflies die if you touch their wings? Not from a light touch. A butterfly can lose some scales and still fly and live normally. But the scales never grow back, so every rough touch leaves a permanent bald patch. Handle the wings as little as possible and only by the front edge.

What is the best time of day to catch butterflies? Warm, sunny days from mid-morning to early afternoon, when they are active and feeding. In the cool early morning many butterflies sit basking with open wings and are slower, which makes them easier to approach.

How do I keep a caught butterfly alive on the way home? Put it into a glassine envelope with its wings closed, or into a small mesh field cage, and keep it out of the heat. A hot car or a backpack in full sun kills it quickly. At home, mist the cage walls with water so it can drink.

Is it legal to catch butterflies? Catching common species and letting them go is allowed in most places, but rules differ by country and some species and protected areas are off limits entirely. Check your local regulations first, and if you are not sure what you are looking at, let it go.

How long can a caught butterfly stay in a jar? As short as possible. A closed jar overheats in the sun within minutes and the butterfly damages its wings beating against the glass. A mesh cage or a glassine envelope in the shade is much safer, and if you only want a closer look, let it go after a few minutes.