Residents at a communal home staged a colourful mass release of butterflies which they bred from caterpillar and chrysalis, writes Guy Boswell.

Immediately the ladies of Parkwood Court in Tavistock took the top off their temporary holder, the Painted Ladies took to the air in a great escape.

The gardens of the home briefly became a cascade of colour before the butterflies fluttered onto the flowerbed, exhausted by their unaccustomed flight for freedom. They then landed on the ground and found it difficult to take off again as they struggled to find their wings.

The all-female residents joined forces to lovingly bring up the butterflies after being organised by neighbour Sheila Scott, 94.

The former midwife came up with the idea when she saw the children’s nature studies project Insect Lore in action in Yelverton.

She said: “It’s so lovely to see the painted ladies flying free. They seem a bit disorientated and weak when they land. They’re not used to flying because they’ve been in our container since coming out of being a chrysalis. It’s amazing to see the change from being caterpillars to being beautiful butterflies.”

Sheila, helped by home manager Geraldine Alexander, scheduled residents on shifts to keep an eye on and feed the caterpillars which were provided by the organisation Insect Lore.

The metamorphosis involved tiny dark coloured caterpillars growing to ten times their original size, change into jewell-like chrysalides, and finally burst as gorgeous painted lady butterflies with orange and black wings. One-in-five caterpillars transformed into butterflies, having been fed special food provided by Insect Lore and kept by their attentive keepers at a constant temperature, away from direct sunlight and drafts. At a steady 24C, the whole change takes three weeks.

Sheila said: “There is a deficiency of butterflies and other insects, which is not what God intended. They are important for pollinating all the plants.”