We went to a patch of milkweed and began carefully lifting the leaves to search for caterpillars. We even saw a monarch butterfly flitting around, and wondered if she'd laid the tiny white eggs we found.
Sure enough, we began to find monarch caterpillars of all sizes, from large ones that would soon spin their cocoons to a tiny 1/4-inch long one likely just hatched out of its egg. We carefully broke off the leaves the caterpillars were on and placed them in our bug keepers.
Imagine our delight when, three days later, the largest caterpillar spun a chrysalis. The "cat" was hanging upside down when we left for the park; an hour and a half later when we returned, we found a green chrysalis, wiggling from the cat's efforts to finish it from the inside. It was Amazing!
The chrysalis is exquisite. It's light green and the ridge along the top is edged in black and shiny gold. I don't have a good picture of ours, but here's a fuzzy one of my friend Kristen's. It's in the butterfly house her family constructed out of wood and screening.
Now we continue to feed our other caterpillars with fresh milkweed leaves every day. I'm noticing milkweed everywhere now! Sometimes on bike rides I'll stop just to peek under the leaves and search for eggs or caterpillars, not to bring them home but just to stop and be amazed. I did not know that "growing" butterflies was this easy. I'd assumed we needed a fancy kit. What a blessing to be able to share this with our girls!
It's a thrilling experience to see a miracle of creation unfold before our very eyes! But then, we've experienced it before, as our little girls were both knitted by God inside me. How great is our God!
3 comments:
We love going hunting for monarch caterpillers. We've had several hatch and released them. Fun!! :)
That sounds really fun! : )
looks like the girls had a FABULOUS time!!
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