“How to Prepare Butterflies and Moths for Display the Economical Way” (By: Michele Babcock-Nice)

Partial Display of Moths, Collected in North Carolina and Florida, 2006

Pictured above is a photo that represents half of one of my Lepidoptera display cases; I have 13 cases in all.  I have specificially included this photo here to reflect the display of butterflies and/or moths.  In this photo are moths that I collected from Florida and – mostly – North Carolina in 2006. 

Included in the photo of my display are twelve Regal Moths (also known as Royal Walnut Moths, Citheronia regalis), two Waved Sphinx Moths (Ceratomia undulosa), one Small-Eyed Sphinx Moth (Paonias myops), one Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), one Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), one Ornate Tiger Moth (also known as Virgo Moth, Apantesis ornata), one Black Witch (also known as Giant Noctuid, Ascalapha odorata), and two Io Moths (Automeris io).   I have well-preserved them by placing many moth balls at the bottom of the display case to ward off Lepidoptera-eating pests.  And, I replace the moth balls in each case about twice each year for that purpose.

Styrofoam Spreading Board with Pinned Regal Moths, July 2012

When I was a kid and my entomology collecting interest was in full swing, my dad made me an “official” Lepidoptera spreading board.  It was a very scientific “board” that was made of two boards of soft wood, however even the softest wood was not very soft.  The two boards were arranged so that they were almost immovable, making it difficult to spread the wings of a butterfly or moth, as well as challenging to maintain the spread.  That was the fancy spreading board.

Having come a long way in collecting during the past 35 years, I now use styrofoam boards to spread the wings of butterflies and moths – yes, styrofoam boards!  And, let me say, they are absolutely the best type of spreading board one can get for the ease and pliability of use, as well as the economical cost. 

For anyone who is a beginning collector, I highly recommend the use of styrofoam boards for Lepidoptera wing-spreading as the one and only choice.  The best type of styrofoam board is similar to that pictured above, being about 12″x12″x2″.  This is because one can use scissors to carve out spaces on the styrofoam’s surface in which to place the pinned specimens.  Also, a thick board serves as protection from getting poked by the pins, since they don’t go all the way through the bottom of the board.

Also notice at the bottom, right-hand corner of the spreading board in the above-photo that there are several specialty mounting pins.  These are pins that one can purchase from an insect, entomology, or science-related company.  They come in various strengths and sizes, and are specially-coated to prevent them from rusting.  Do not use common, everyday metal pins on which to preserve insect specimens of any kind because they do rust over a period of time.

In the photo of the spreading board are two Regal moths that I collected recently from North Carolina on July 1, 2012.  Each moth is pinned using a specialty pin, and wings have been spread and allowed to dry in place for 2.5 weeks.  I have used strips of tissue paper, pinned into place, to maintain the “spread” of the moth’s wings. 

Regal Moth with Wings Setting in Preparation for Display, July 2012

 A collector should allow a butterfly’s or moth’s wings to dry for at least two weeks or more to ensure hardening, and to prevent the wings from prematurely drooping due to not having completely hardened into place.  Sometimes, it is challenging to be patient and wait several days for the butterfly’s or moth’s wings to dry, but doing so is well-worth the wait and prevents the problematic wing-sag from occurring. 

Regal Moths, North Carolina, USA, July 1, 2012

And, there you have it – see the above photo within this article to observe how beautifully these Regal Moth specimens have turned out for display!  The wings of these specimens are not perfectly-placed and have minor areas of damage, however they will be just fine for my collection!