No, you didn't have to pick them up. It was best to find a butterfly that was resting rather than one constanting flying around but all you had to do was to gently place the q-tip by the front legs, wait a second then start very slowly rolling the q-tip toward the butterfly (your hand isn't moving just the q-tip betweeen your fingers). They kinda step onto the q-tip and since they smell with their feet, they get the scent of the Gatorade and their proboscis comes out and they start to drink. One thing I noticed was that they didn't sit straight up, they kinda leaned to the side to drink. Anyway, it worked for us, everyone in the group got the butterflies to drink. I had a ZLW and a Julia get on mine (not at the same time). One thing the woman said and I have heard it and read it in other places is that the proboscis is like like a straw but when the butterfly first emerges it is actually like a straw that is not sealed. The butterfly rubs it with its feet and over time, it seals . That is why the butterflies do not have to feed for the first few hours, actually not until the proboscis is sealed. So if you raise them indoors and the weather isn't nice enough to release them, you don't have to worry so much asbout feeding them.

They want warm weather and warmer soil temperatures before they will show any signs of new growth. If you were growing this same plant out in the desert, and already getting 85F temps every day, your plant wouldn't have the same issues. It is poorly adapted to coastal California, our cool nights even in summer don't really allow this plant to shine. When I see this being sold occasionally here in Berkeley, I have to laugh, but I suppose it is okay for a nursery to sell this if someone really wants to try it, but it plain won't bloom a second time in our climate. Euphorbia cotiniifolia is another plant that acts the same here...

I have several and love them . Two have been moved several times and are rather tall and airy shrubs.One is their child and has become a small tree.I was just out on our evening doggy walk and saw a neighbor's who was probably 15 ft tall as a tree and gorgeous!!!! Not seeing too many butterflies but my place is a smorgasboord for BUTTERFLIES so they meay just be picky/

I received mine when it was approximately 8" as well. I keep it in full sun since I live up North in zone 7B. The plant has not stopped flowering and sprouting leaves. I also have 6 babies growing. Whenever I see a pod that's about to burst, I keeo an eye out for the seeds, I then just tuck them in the soil about 1/2"down and about 1 -2 weeks later my babies sprout. I have also heard of people putting a mesh bad around the pods to catch the seeds since they do tend to "fly" rather far from the tree. I winter it indoors and still have beautiful leaves and some flowering, but I have never not had a flower. Good luck.