Happy Summer – Part 2: Painted Lady Butterflies

What an AWESOME year-end project!  A big brown box arrived with the words “Live Specimens” on it, and the excitement began!  We watched our little caterpillars change from smooth and brown into spiky and black.  They made little webs, ate and grew like crazy and deposited lots of frass!  We were so excited when they started to make J-shapes and then molted for the last time and became pupas.  Gradually we could see the shiny gold through the thin skin of the chrysalids.  We loved watching our newly hatched butterflies… but even better was the chance to actually hold them.  “Butterfly Freedom Day”  was the best part of all… until we found out that our little butterflies had LAID EGGS before they flew away!  We each got to take home TWO teeny, tiny, itty, bitty caterpillars for the summer holidays!

The Butterfly Life Cycle
Here are photos of the Painted Ladies in our classroom, showing all the amazing changes of metamorphosis!

Butterfly Life Cycle on PhotoPeach

The Butterfly Pavilion – holding the butterflies!
We went into the Pavilion two students at a time.  When you lick your finger and gently push it under the butterfly, it will often walk right onto your finger!  The sweetness in our saliva attracts them and you can watch the little proboscis come out to taste your finger!

The Butterfly Pavilion Experience! on PhotoPeach


 

Butterfly Freedom Day!
Mrs. B. took the Pavilion tent into our outdoor Sanctuary.  We sketched and colored as we waited for turns to bring our little butterflies out into the world to fly free! 

 

 

Butterfly Freedom Day! from Nora Boekhout on Vimeo.

Full set of photos available at
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/boekhout/activities.htm
but you’ll need our password to view them!

 

Are YOUR caterpillars getting ready
for metamorphosis?

 

 

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