There are lots of things that we as adults can take for granted. Take the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly for instance. It's indisputably one of the coolest things in nature. The way a caterpillar grows through stages of its early life before finally enclosing itself in its chrysalis. Then, the changes that happen in said chrysalis over the next few days leading up to the grand emergence of the butterfly that has resided within. Of course, the great thing about having kids is that their natural excitement and exuberance for life can help adults to see those really cool things through the eyes of a child. Nowhere was that more evident than over the past couple of weeks when we raised caterpillars into butterflies with the kids (I know; that seems shockingly apparent based upon the beginning of this blog).
Our journey of being butterfly parents began on May 10th when a cup containing four tiny caterpillars arrived on our front step. Actually, for the record, it technically began five days earlier when we placed the order for them on my sister-in-law's Amazon account (Have to take advantage of that free shipping!). We had actually discussed raising butterflies with the kids for a few years but the timeline never lined up correctly until this year.
As soon as I opened up the delivery box to find the cup of caterpillars, Ethan was very interested to see what it was all about. He was very good about not touching the cup and just looking with his eyes (except for a few occasions). It understandably took a bit for the caterpillars to feel comfortable with their new surroundings but soon enough, they were climbing all over their cup and exploring every inch. Ellie, for her part, was just as excitedly to see them once she got home from school that day.
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| Day 1 |
Over the next three days, we took photos each day charting the growth and development of our four new friends. If there was any single development Bethany and I missed, Ellie and Ethan were certain to let us know. Finally, on May 14th, the caterpillars made their way to the top of their cup and formed into a chrysalis where they would remain until the following Monday when I moved the lid of their cup into the butterfly habitat.
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| As you can see, our caterpillars changed quickly over the next several days. |
Over the next few days, Ellie and Ethan became more and more excited for their butterflies to "hatch". Each morning and night, Ellie would check on the growth of the chrysalis and proceed to ask Bethany and/or me when the butterflies would come out of their chrysalis. Unfortunately, Bethany and I are not experts in the butterfly life cycle and only knew that they took seven to 10 days to emerge.
On Saturday the 21st, the momentous day finally arrived. While I thought I noticed slight movement from the chrysalises early in the morning, I just assumed I was seeing things. Later that morning though, Bethany and the kids came inside from a stint of playing outdoors to find that one of the butterflies had emerged. Soon enough, another two emerged although we sadly had not had the opportunity to watch them do so yet. Therefore, we were bound and determined to watch the last one break forth from its chrysalis state. On Saturday at 1:50 pm, it did just that. Lucky for us, we were right there to watch it happen. I even was able to record the moment!
Over the next three days, we continued to care for our new butterflies as they adjusted to their new life. Each day, Bethany used an eye dropper to place several drops of homemade nectar in their home for their consumption. It was at all uncommon for us to find Ellie and/or Ethan sitting on the floor in front of their home watching them crawl around and practice using their wings. Finally, on Monday night, the time came for us to release the butterflies into nature. While the first was more than happy to leave his home, the other three had a little more trepidation in doing so. Soon enough though, each of the four left their home and fluttered into the trees in our backyard where they will hopefully make a new home for themselves.
If we needed any justification that our kids had enjoyed raising butterflies, we received that rather quickly as soon after walking back in the house Ellie asked when we would raise them again. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected to say this at the start of our project but I honestly can't wait to raise butterflies again either. It was a really fun process to watch and being able to do it with my kids made it all the more rewarding. Now, I know this is a long blog post so I've attached a "too long, didn't read" for your benefit.
TL,DR - We raised butterflies with the kids over the past couple of weeks. It was fun!
#DaddyWrite
So great and interesting for your cute little kiddos!! 👍🥰👍
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