Butterfly Enclosure (#5)
This is a butterfly enclosure that I built to hold a few plants and secure them from lizards and birds and other animals which would eat the caterpillars going through the process of transforming into butterflies. It is made from redwood finished in an oil-based finish that has a light leave-on stain (Cabot Australian Timber Oil, my favorite for redwood that will be in the elements). There is a door with an acrylic panel for visibility at the front to access the plants while the sides and top are filled with black fiberglass window screen material that was stretched flat using off-cut redwood strips to hold it tight around the inside edges. I secured the redwood strips with staples and then carefully cut the excess screen away. The door is secured by two hinges and a decorative latch and any gaps larger than ~1/32" (less than 1mm) were carefully filled with thin strips of redwood to ensure small gecko lizards cannot enter. The caterpillars love the mesh for their cocoons!
Front view
