Cecropia Caterpillar

 Last September, as I was getting water from our rain barrel at the side of our house, I saw this huge (4-5") caterpillar crawling up the wall.  This was no ordinary caterpillar and definitely none I had seen before.  As a teacher I get to see and house many different kinds through the year. When a new one comes in, we research it and try to accommodate it to see it through its cycle.

This cecropia caterpillar, as research verified, is rarely seen in our area, and if it finishes its cycle, happens to be the largest moth in North America.  It had a beautiful rainbow of colours down its back.

Luckily I found this the Saturday before school begins - perfect for an intro activity.  Once I had it securely in a container I carried it to school.  Fortunately, on the way there I passed a group of my students who got to see this beauty.  I put it into a butterfly cage, along with a clover stalk.  I hoped to do some research later and see exactly what it needs.  Well... coming to school the next day, what I saw was not the caterpillar but a stunning cocoon, white and silky.  It had made use of the clover and spun its cocoon around it.  

What luck that the kids got to see it and I got pictures taken, as this thing didn't give us much time to observe itself.

Further research stated that the cocoon can be over-wintered in the vegetable compartment of a fridge which is what we did.  

A few weeks ago we brought it out and put it in a fish tank to observe.  I hardly hoped that the thing survived.

Yesterday evening as I sat at my desk with our classroom cat on my lap, she suddenly sat straight up, leapt down and quietly stalked to the shelf that housed the tank.  All alert, she stood and intently gazed at something.  I had to go and see what she noticed and there, fluttering around in the tank, was a magnificent moth!

The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore

This moth, once emerged, is almost at the end of its life.  It never even eats as an adult!  Its sole purpose is now to mate.  Then it dies.  

Butterfly Release

Our Painted Lady butterflies have graced us with their presence for five days now.  They started emerging from their chrysalises on Friday with some hatching on the weekend.  The butterflies lived on orange slices and did well at that. 

There was one struggling to come out on Monday.  That one fell to the floor of the cage and when it did come out, it never really uncrumbled its' wings. I could see that it was not going to make it.  Happily for the class, one kind girl asked for the 'crippled' butterfly to care for it at home.  She had it a day when it escaped - luckily - I thought.

So today we embarked to the apple orchard to release our remaining few.  How active they were in the cage!  It must have been the warmth of the sunshine.  Everybody got to hold them, with some butterflies escaping in the process.  We were able to observe them as they fluttered from flower to flower.  They stayed in the area and we could still track them as we left for the lunch bell was ringing.

Butterfly Hunt

Monarch

I have a class of butterfly enthusiasts.  It helps not only that we raised a swarm of Painted Lady butterflies, but also the fact that this seems to be the year of the BUTTERFLY!  Anyone else notice the great number of them this year?  Monarchs, yellow swallow-tails, painted ladies, mourning cloaks, cabbage whites!!!  (y' know, the little green worms in your salad!), there is a multitude of them all!  I have even seen the hummingbird moth which I had only seen once before around here.  I wonder what brings the population up so?  Is it the weather?  

Cabbage White

A quick search brought up this article.  Seems like a break in a drought made for ideal conditions and these insects flourished.  

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

We went butterfly hunting this week.  We kept a list of the kinds and the number of each.  As each count is, we of course missed lots, but  this was great practice in identifying some of the different varieties found around here.  The cabbage whites, a gardeners nightmare, are especially numerous!  

Cabbages whites -- really enjoying the sage in my flower garden.

Painted Lady

I made the mistake of taking butterfly nets.  They were tucked away in the corner of the storage room and I couldn't resist.  I did a talk on what to 'catch', how to handle, and how to release butterflies unharmed.  But of course kids end up chasing and wildly running and the butterfly count becomes a hunt...  

Our sketchy count...


Tiger Swallowtail - 3
Monarch -- 23
Cabbage White -- 70
Painted Lady -- 7
Mourning Cloak -- 1

Stinkin' Cute

Origami Butterflies

... instructions can be found here.

We made these origami butterflies a few weeks ago as one of our theme activities.  

Seeing that the fox differed by only a few folds we attempted these too.  Every one had a few finished ones and I am always happy to see that some students go off on a tangent once the know how to do this.

Origami Fox Family - created by one of my students in Grade 2. 

Instructions can be found here.

These are quite simple to make and after a few tries my students' fox collection grew to a family group!  The brown paper is origami paper and the orange is simply sheets from a desk note block and plain paper cut down to size.

Painted Ladies

Our Painted Lady butterflies began to emerge today!  I had ordered 13 caterpillars a few weeks ago.  They grew incredibly fast and it didn't take long for them to begin the last cycle in their metamorphosis.  Their chrysalis, though not as beautiful as a monarch's is also a thing of wonder.  It's gold flecks appear almost immediately.

It took a little over a week for them to develop.  Today was the first day we saw colour through the chrysalis.  I observed them after dinner and they were still intact.  During story-time one of the girls surprised us with, "There's a butterfly!"   Of course the book we were reading was put on hold as we all marveled at the creation!

These butterflies are not as big and as showy as monarchs, though wonderful just the same.  The under side of the wings is especially beautiful.
One of my students quickly dispatched to bring an orange for it to feed on when ready.

Amazingly, that is where it was when I came back to school this evening.  Two more butterflies were testing their wings!

With painted Ladies, if you keep them for two weeks, they are ready to begin the cycle again.  Hopefully we will be able to care for some long enough to see the eggs and watch the complete cycle.