Our Butterflies!

Our Butterflies!

The Butterfly Life Cycle in Kilbeg NS…

As a whole school community, we took on the responsibility to grow tiny caterpillars into butterflies! We transferred each of the caterpillars into small plastic tubs with their food and made holes in the lids for air. Each morning, we checked to see how much bigger they had grown and  to see if any of them had attached themselves to the lid of the pot. When they attached themselves to the lid they start to form a chrysalis around their bodies. We had in our classroom very hungry caterpillars…just like the story we had read!!!

When the caterpillars were ready, they made chrysalides and carefully we opened up their pots and transferred them into their new home for the next few weeks..the butterfly net. Here they could emerge out of their chrysalis and stretch their wings as a butterfly. We gathered leaves, over ripe bananas and oranges to put on the floor of the net so that the could have a sweet drink when they emerged. We mixed sugar and water to make a sweet, nectar tasting drink and used a dropper to put it onto the leaves.

One by one, the butterflies emerged and there was great excitement in our classroom! When their wings were strong enough, we released them into our school garden! Some needed more encouragement to leave the net than others! We were delighted to release 33 Painted Lady butterflies and look forward to seeing them around our school over the next few weeks!

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