Depending what time of year they’re born, Monarch butterflies can live from 2 weeks to about 5 months, but this guy’s time was threatened to be cut ever shorter. Romy McCloskey committed to raising these creatures some time ago, and after one of them came into this world with a wing defect, she knew something had to be done. McCloskey turned her home into an operating room and used common household items to perform a wing transplant.

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“I am a professional costume designer and master hand embroiderer,” she said. “This was right up my alley.” Her supplies included a towel, a wire hanger, contact cement, a toothpick, a cotton swab, scissors, tweezers, talc powder, and an extra butterfly wing from one of her little girls that died a few days before.

According to McCloskey, there’s no need to drug the butterflies when performing such a procedure. She compared their wings to human nails or hair: “They do not have pain receptors.”

Scroll down to check out how the surgery went!

Romy McCloskey on social media: Facebook | Instagram