Butterflies

Emily is a tad bit obsessed with butterflies. She has been for some time now. I am not sure when or how I got the idea, but I decided I wanted to get a butterfly nursery to share in a learning experience with the girls.

One Friday afternoon, we trekked out to Lakeshore Learning Store and ordered our butterfly nursery as there were none on the shelves. It was right before Memorial Day that our nursery arrived at the store. We decided to wait until after our Memorial Day vacation to send away for our caterpillars so they wouldn't arrive when we were gone.

Our caterpillars arrived about a week after we sent away for them. Four black little creepy looking caterpillars in a plastic container filled with what looked like peanut butter with a coffee filter on top. We read the directions and it said to leave them alone and in 7-10 days they would turn into their chrysalis. We watched them grow....and grow....and grow. Then finally one day the first caterpillar turned...and then another and another and finally the last one.

We moved the coffee filter with the four chyrsalis' on it into the butterfly nursery. That was 5 days ago. Today, after breakfast, Elle was on her way up the stairs to wash her face and hands and she said, "Look Momma, a butterfly." I have been watching these things like a hawk and I knew that 15 minutes prior there was nothing, but now there was a beautiful butterfly just emerging from it's chrysalis. We watched it for a bit and spent the day checking on the rest.

While we were eating lunch, butterfly #2 was "born." Go figure. The minute our eyes were off it, it came out. We are now waiting patiently to see #3 and #4. My guess is the darn things will emerge tonight while we are sleeping. Thats just our luck. I am still amazed, though, that they all lived and we didn't kill them. Haha! We mixed up our first batch of sugar water for them and they actually seem to like it.

I can't wait to see all four of them out! And even more I can't wait to set them free. Did you know that a butterfly only has a three week life span? We are going to let them be free and not die in our care. That sounds like a great plan to me. :)