The caterpillars come in this jar with all the food they need. You just watch them and pretty soon they will form their cocoons on the top of the lid. There is a piece of paper that they actually attach to and when they're all hanging upside down it's time to put them in their habitat.
We carefully pinned them (still attached to that piece of paper) into the inside of the habitat. You have to hang them somewhere safe so that they don't get bumped. They were either above the dining room table or hanging from one of the curtain rods in our dining room. It took them about a week...and then...
...they emerged! All 5 of them survived. I was breathing a sigh of relief because Eleanor checked on them every day and couldn't wait to see them turn into butterflies. We didn't get to see them emerge from their cocoons, but one was still kind of stuck and so we saw him free himself. I think they all came out at the same time and probably overnight.
Next, it was time to feed them. We cut some flowers from the yard and made a little garden for them. You take 1 cup water and add 3 tsp. sugar. With the dropper that was provided, you just drop the sugar water over the flowers. You can also take balled up Kleenex and dip them in the sugar water. I did to that after about 24 hours because I was concerned they weren't eating enough. Always a Mom! We fed them and observed them for about 2 days..and...then...
Eleanor released them into our yard! You can release them anywhere as long as the temp is above 55 degrees.
Fly, little butterflies, fly!
4 comments:
So cool! I need to get one of those next year at this time. Will you remind me? :) Were they monarchs? I would have to double check with my 3rd grader, but I believe butterflies form a chrysalis and moths make cocoons. Gloria is going to be a monarch for Halloween this year and I'm super excited about it. Hope you're having a great weekend! Can't wait to see you Monday night. I'm making apple crisp and hope to have it right out of the oven when you all arrive!
Brynn, Great job, along with Eleanor. Glad to see she has an early interest in science. If a monarch, they have a unique life cycle, it takes three generations of migrating north, they they all travel back to the same area of Mexico to start over. I know I'm not a neutral source, but wow, what a photogenic young girl. Bahnka
What a great gift! Our teachers at school do that once in awhile and the kids adore learning that way. I wonder if you could get the "mix" again and do it in another year? Next it will be baby chicks, huh? Now that's another story. G. Karma
Tell me WHERE they got this. Ellie has wanted one for a long time and would LOVE it!!!
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