I know how to make one, how to feed one and how to keep a baby and I’m moving onward and upward, to the world of raising caterpillars into butterflies. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, if I have any gentlemen readers, the kids and I have just hatched our very first butterfly and we are enthralled with looking at it. Luckily the kids have quickly learned to keep their fingers off of it. Now if I could only teach the kids to keep their hands off their baby brother I’d be even more thrilled.
Jason’s teacher had already ordered him a caterpillar before we brought him home for schooling so when we were at the school picking Jocelyn up she pulled me aside and asked if I’d still be interested in having it.
Interested?!?
Uh, yeah! Duh. Who doesn’t want to have a pet butterfly, atleast until it’s wings are strong enough to release it into the wide world of Lyndsey Park.
We started with a small caterpillar in a plastic container with food on the bottom and tissue paper between the container and the lid. Pretty soon they caterpillar was hanging upside down from the tissue paper and would do acrobatics to stretch down and grab some food. It was rather fascinating, actually. I kept a good eye on it so we could journal what the caterpillar was doing and one day it was a chrysalis, hanging from the paper. It was awesome! Ugly, brown and hard looking but still awesome.
That was when I emptied Jason’s old aquarium which had been empty of anything living for a long time. I cut some branches off my tree and laid them in the aquarium, taped the tissue paper with the chrysalis to a branch and put the lid on. I thought that when the butterfly would come out it would be flying all over but it didn’t. It has sat on a branch all day, walking slowly and opening its wings like it’s stretching. Once the butterfly emerged I soaked some cosmetics pads (because I don’t have cotton balls) in sugar water and put it in the aquarium.
This has been one of the most fun things we’ve done so far. I can’t wait to take it to the park although I haven’t quite figured out how we’ll transport it without hurting it.
We’re also thinking of names for the caterpillar. Anyone know how to tell the difference between a male and a female butterfly?
That is the most beautiful butterfly. Really.
Cool!
Thanks slouching mom! I wish I could have gotten a picture with the wings open because that’s where all the real colors are, inside the wings.
We ‘raised’ butterflies last year and it was sooo cool. I keep meaning to order more catepillars. Your butterfly is gorgeous! As far as moving it, we have a big mesh butterfly container; maybe just use a decent-sized box with plastic wrap over it (poke small holes in the wrap)? If it isn’t a long drive, I’d think it be ok as long as it doesn’t get too hot. Good luck!