Opening the Wings
by Clark Thompson
Spreading Butterflies: Step 5. Open the wings with forceps or by blowing gently and flatten the specimen by pinning two paper strips near the body of the butterfly, parallel to the groove in the board. I usually have the paper strips prepinned to the board several inches in front of the head. The lower ends of the strips are bent (rolled backward) toward the head and outside of the board and pinned in this waiting position until the wings have been flattened.Don't worry about the position of the wings at this stage but leave room with your top pins so that there will be space for moving the wings up into proper position. Let the flattened specimen accomodate for a few moments while you get ready for the next step. I recommend propping up the abdomen on some tissue, a few folds in the groove, to avoid a congestion of pins later on. |