How to care for a captive butterfly?

My son brought home a caterpillar from school when his class was learning about insects. It spun its crysallis and has now become a painted lady butterfly. The little plastic cup it was in was too small, so I put it in a tall clear glass vase and rubber-banded a piece of fabric over the top so it can't escape, but still has air. My son says he wants to keep it, rather than release it. How do I care for this little guy? What does it eat? Should I put foliage in the jar? Should it be live, or can I pick leaves, etc. from outside? If anyone has any experience with this, please help me out! Thanks!|||I think that you should explain to your son that just as much as he wouldn't like to live closed in glass jar niether does the butterfly............I doubt if it will survive very long in captivity, surely your son will understand....|||I raised a painted lady butterfly for my entomology class in college.





Release it. The whole point was to watch it as a caterpillar and let it go. It's unfair to keep it as an adult.





This would be a good time to explain to your son that some things aren't meant to be kept captive. I have no advice as to how to care for a captive butterfly handy, and if I did, I wouldn't give it to you.





A captive butterfly. Ugh. What a travesty. All he'll get out of this is a captive DEAD butterfly.





I let mine go, and it was lovely. That was the whole point of the project, to watch it grow and then set it free.|||Butterfly's eat nectar from flowers,you would have to get fresh flower every day, you have to know the species of butterfly so you could get the right kind of flower. caterpillars are easier to keep.its best to let the butterfly go and trade it in on a new Caterpillar.explain to your son that the butterfly will die if you keep it and let him raise a new one|||i think you will get more enjoyment from releasing him, its unfair depriving him from breeding and continuing the life cycle. xxxxxx