Topic

Butterflies...

I may be asking something that's already been asked (my apologies), but I've searched, and found nothing, so.......

What is the life expectancy of butterflies? Mine keep, ummmm, expiring and leaving behind bottles of milk. I massage them, I sing to them, there's a milker in my yard to keep them from 'sploding...is there something I'm missing or perhaps not doing? Or, is it simply that they have a finite time here in Ur before they leave for...well, wherever it is butterflies go when they, uh, die?

Posted 13 months ago by Dahlia DreadNaught Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Singing to them prolongs their life somewhat, but my understanding is that all other interactions (including massaging and milking) decrease it.  Apparently all animals have finite lives, although I have yet to have a pig or chicken die of old age (pigs can also starve to death).
    Posted 13 months ago by Leites Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmmmm...thank you, Leites. Yeah, my pigs and chickens seem fine as well.

    I guess then, I'll up the singing and take it easy on the other stuff...just makes me a little sad to come home to a wee pile of milk bottles, rather than the floating blue of a butterfly.
    Posted 13 months ago by Dahlia DreadNaught Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Like all creatures, including us, Butterflies have limited life spans.   Live in the present. 
    Posted 13 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yeah, just random cap you can't expect I rather you take full advantage of your flies, I don't massage them anymore...
    Posted 13 months ago by Rook Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yep they do die. Milk them for what there worth and expect to replace them.  The may also die prematurely from over crowding.  I've noticed you can only have around 45-48 animals in your pen.  My current pen is 25 Piggies14 Butterflies5 Chickens and they seem stable. Or they can over crowd from just have too many Butterflies like 20.
    The pigs like the chickens around so you only need a few for friends and egg incubation.  14 butterflies is about the most I've seem to have maintain without them dying off.

     
    Posted 13 months ago by Webbie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Butterflies can also leave eggs when they expire...I logged on to a pile of 10 eggs where i was standing and i was missing a butterfly.
    Posted 13 months ago by BloodravenD Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That's confirmed BloodravenD.  I experienced the same thing.
    Posted 13 months ago by Webbie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes. Out of three dead butterflies, I got two piles of ten butterfly eggs and one set of three milks. Clearly one of my butterflies was less happy with me than the other two. :)
    Posted 13 months ago by ✰ Lorelei ✰ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I strongly suspect that butterfly lifespan has recently been nerfed. Recent butterflies have "moved on" much more rapidly than my first batch.
    Posted 13 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • why eggs sometimes and other times milk? i thought it might have to do with their happiness so i massaged the bajeezus out of them and sang to no avail!
    Posted 12 months ago by Ellaminnowpea Subscriber! | Permalink
  • They nerfed it a few days ago.  Ten eggs is in the past.  Feel lucky if you get one.
    Posted 12 months ago by Parrow Gnolle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It'd be better if massaging prolonged the butterfly lifespan...
    Posted 12 months ago by Fergmus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've been told that having butterfly milkers also shortens their lifespan because they're being worked more? But I have no idea if that's actually true or speculative. 
    Posted 12 months ago by Aviatrix Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Here's the scoop:

    Butterflies have a limited number of life points. Milking butterflies decreases their life -  this also applies to butterfly milkers. (As mentioned, singing increases their life a little.)

    If a butterfly dies while you are away from home, it will leave behind some butterfly milk or a butterfly egg. Exactly what you get is determined randomly, so it doesn't matter how you treat your butterfly.

    And, sorry about the 10 eggs thing. That was a typo - it was always supposed to be one egg. (So, some of you lucked out.)
    Posted 12 months ago by Etna Subscriber! | Permalink
  • About chickens and piggies:

    Chickens have life points, like butterflies. Squeezing them for grain decreases their life. You're probably just noticing the butterflies dying faster because your milkers are milking them all the time.

    Piggies do not have life in the same way as butterflies and chickens. Instead, they starve to death.

    Therefore, your butterflies and chickens could live forever if you never touched them, and your piggies could live forever if they didn't run out of food.
    Posted 12 months ago by Etna Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks Etna :) That's why I get 10 eggs two times :)
    Posted 12 months ago by Winkerdal Subscriber! | Permalink
  • We really should have a animal husbandry manual...
    Posted 12 months ago by roderick ordonez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you, Etna...you just answered more than I asked, but have been wondering about for a while now!
    Posted 12 months ago by Dahlia DreadNaught Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, thanks Etna!  Now I can resume petting my pigs with a clear conscience . . .
    Posted 12 months ago by Leites Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for that Etna.  I would really like to see the ability to farm batterflies for guano.
    Posted 12 months ago by Webbie Subscriber! | Permalink