Butterfly found, not harmed but won't fly

by Zoe
( Sunshine Coast, Australia)

My daughter found a butterfly. It will not fly, although the wings look fine. It stays on her hand but when she tries to attach it to a leaf or branch it topples off. It won't walk either. What could be wrong with it and how can we help it. Thanks for your time.

Karen says:
If she found it right after it emerged from its chrysalis, the wings maybe weren't dry. It takes a while for the wings to dry and the butterfly to fly. If this isn't the case, it could possibly have some kind of virus or disease that affected the wing formation. In that case you could try and feed the butterfly Gaterade, Juicy Juice or sugar-water nectar (1 part sugar, 10 parts water - boil water and add sugar to dissolve).