Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - Caterpillar to Chrysalis
I am so fascinated with what we are doing with bugs and insects.
Sunday, 8/13: I got some more milkweed to feed my two caterpillars that I already had. I accidentally picked 3 more caterpillars. I gave two away and kept the smallest one for myself. I do not know how long this little guy had been hatched but he was very small. I read that he ate his weight the first day out of the egg.
Monday 8/14: I took pictures to document our caterpillar journey. Teeny had already grown quite a bit. The day I brought him home he was as big as the vine of the leaf and was actually hard to see. Here he is barely 1/2 inch long.
Saturday 8/19: Not even a week later he is right around the 2 inch mark. This is about as big as they grow
Yes it is the same caterpillar. I took this measurement picture because he was starting to circle around the top which was a clear sign he was making plans to make a chrysalis. And we would be gone all day Sunday so I needed to move him to a jar.
Monday 8/21: He was still eating away at the milkweed until around 10 or so at night when he moved to the top. I thought for sure we would have a chrysalis by morning. This is not Teeny because I didn't get a good "J" picture of him. Caterpillars attach themselves to the surface and it is very important not to break that contact. It is like their umbilical chord. Once they are attached they hang and curl themselves into this "J" shape.
They will curl much tighter than this.
Tuesday 8/22: Teeny did not make his chrysalis over night. He was still hanging in his J. I tried to keep an eye on him and around 4:30, I was on the phone with a friend and happened to pick up Teeny's jar to have a look. There was a tiny hairline of green starting with the head. I quickly called Cameron over to have a look, then rudely hung up on friend. But she understood. The spit was getting bigger before our very eyes.
HORRIBLE picture but you can see the split
Then we rushed outside because our pictures were turning out so ugly.
At this point I moved to video on the camera. He started wiggling around trying to work the last bit of that skin off. Once I figure out how to get a video I will post it. It was the neatest thing ever. And what are we left with?
(also not Teeny)
Tune in about two weeks from today when Teeny should emerge from his chrysalis a changed bug.
Comments
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Emily23
Thats too cool.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Heather S.
I love your blog, Danielle! Your pics and description of the caterpillar change are great! Keep us posted!
Heather
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Prncsstefy
Way cool! I'll have to take some pictures of our caterpillars today before I forget.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - I LOVED this !!!
Posted by Canadagirl
I think this is the best thing ever that showed me and my kiddos the process of it going into a chrysalis. I can't wait to see the end of the story. (0: Thank you for coming back to my blog and telling me a bit about yourself. I hope to get to know you better over time. (0: I love reading your blog. I hope to have this kind of HS at my home. (0: God Bless.
In Him,
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by babymakers
Danielle, your photography is great! I can't believe that you got to see it and I never get to see that happen to mine!!!!!!!!!! I hope you get your video uploaded!
Thursday, August 24, 2006 - Too cool!
Posted by justamom
I've always wanted to do a bug study with my 3, but with baby this summer we thought it best to wait till next summer...
I am SOOO jealous!
What awesome pictures too to document your caterpillar's progress! Amazing creatures, huh?
Be sure to post butterfly pic's too! I'll be checking in later...
Just a mom...
Thursday, August 24, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by StonyHillHomeSchool
How neat! Loved reading your post and seeing the pictures!
Glad to hear that your first day of school went well!
Darlene
Thursday, August 24, 2006 - Cool!
Posted by Mommaofmany
That's so neat to get to SEE the caterpiller cocooning! We have never caught the whole thing! Blessings!
Momma
Thursday, August 24, 2006 - SO Cool!
Posted by elliott10
I love this post. What a great time the 2 of you are having!
Friday, August 25, 2006 - Awesome!
Posted by sonshine4u
I have never seen the actual process of a caterpillar making a chrysalis! That was sooo cool! I had to laugh though...I recognized those piles of Stampin' Up! Ink Pads behind Teenies jar! Hee hee!!! Don't worry, your ink addiction is safe with me...oops, did I just post that? Happy Stamping! Er...I mean butterfly watching!
Friday, August 25, 2006 - Too Cool!
Posted by tiredmom
I can't wait to see the little guy emerging. Great catch and great pictures!
Saturday, August 26, 2006 - SU!
Posted by sonshine4u
Hey...I used to be a SU! demonstrator too...but that was before the cool new inkpads came out, so I still have the smaller versions. I am still weeding out my collection!
Saturday, August 26, 2006 - Great photoshow.
Posted by REInvestor
I love those pictures. I have been wanting a monarch caterpillar for ages, but haven't ever found one. But what we got was a luna moth caterpillar. I have one picuture to post, but we haven't been following it like you have. Our guy is now in the pupa stage and working on a cocoon. Isn't homeschooling great?
Sunday, August 27, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by KarenW
Oh how fun! I would love to do that too but I have never found a butterfly caterpillar. Maybe I'm not looking very hard - or at all!
Monday, September 4, 2006 - you have inspired me.
Posted by REInvestor
I love these pictures and your blogging about these caterpillers and butterflies. I found some monarchs in a milkweed patch this week and we are attempting to do the same thing. I will blog about it soon, but probably refer people to you. Isn't God amazing at what He does. And it is so cool to be able to really learn about it.
