We have been waiting for nearly a month now for our butterfly larvae to arrive and it finally came!! I didn't tell the kids when I ran down to the post office Saturday morning what it was I was picking up, I just love to keep secrets. *grin* So when I came back with a very large box plastered with the above 'Live Specimen' stickers all over it they really went nutty trying to figure out what in the world mama had got them now :)
I wasn't joking when I said the box was big either! We were only getting 5 caterpillars and a little pop up screen enclosure for when the butterflies emerge later on so what in the world could be hiding in all those packing peanuts?!
A full color poster showing the life cycle and various butterflies....
and our 6 Painted Lady caterpillars, we ended up with one extra one. They are an ugly little black caterpillar, not one of those pretty little fuzzy ones which quite often are moths *grin* and they are noisy to! You can hear them chewing when it is really quiet. I was sitting on the couch earlier reading and I could hear the strangest noise, sort of like a scratching sound and it was them! They must be super hungry :) They came in their little plastic container filled with food so we don't have to do anything now but wait. It takes 10 - 14 days for them to grow and form their chrysalis' so now we watch and
wait :)
I just did this with my dd for the second time. The best advice I got for them was let them free on a cool morning. Early as you can. (Don't let them free in the rain though.) They will be sort of sluggish and you will get some AMAZING pictures of your babies with your butterflies. :)
Have fun with them! We have done all sorts of butterfly things for the last two weeks. Enchanted Learning and EdHelper both have some great butterfly and 'spring' life cycle pages that we have used on and off.
How exciting! I can't wait to see pictures when they emerge!
Also, how neat to have a nest to watch right at your window. That mama robin must know you're studying nature and wanted to give you something to study!!
Oh, this is a wonderful project. We actually got our second butterfly "cage" Monday since the one from last year's crop was destroyed after a summer of collecting. I plan to send in my coupon for the larvae soon. Have fun.
Jenn
