Growing Butterflies

For several years, I'd been meaning to buy one of the butterfly kits to try at home with the kids. We finally got around to it this summer and it was such a fun and educational experience. We mailed away for a jar of Painted Lady caterpillars, which arrived in our mailbox.

The tiny caterpillars were very still when they arrived, but soon perked up and began chomping away at the "food" in the bottom of the jar. In just a few days they looked like these monsters:

Then, they began building their cocoons. One at a time, they attached themselves to the lid of the jar and settled in. When they were finished, I pinned the paper lid onto a side wall of the butterfly house. One little guy never attached himself well, so, following instructions, I set his cocoon gently on the floor of the house.

Then we waited.

And waited.

And one day?

We had butterflies!

It's a bloodbath in there! Thankfully the instructions warned us of the tissue/blood that's released when the butterflies come out. Eew. We kept them inside for a couple days, feeding them with orange slices. Then, it was time to let them go.

We watched as they flew out one by one and soared around our yard. The kids watched in awe as they fluttered to trees and later flew over our fences. So beautiful!

But the little guy whose cocoon didn't really work? He came out with crushed wings. Natalie was heartbroken and carried him around for quite some time. After failing to talk her into leaving him under a flowering bush, she agreed to take care of him in one of her bug houses.

I'd like to say we nursed him back to health and set him free with the rest of his friends.

But, that's not what happened.

Later that afternoon, she left his bug house lid open. And the cat ate him.

This led to another discussion about the life cycle of the butterfly.