Butterfly Cycle Collage (1 Photo) (1 Viewer)

This season, I decided to harvest and raise Monarch Butterfly eggs, taken from Common Milkweed plants in my meadow, as a means of interesting some of the neighborhhod kids in nature study.

I have a screenhouse erected in my meadow and turned that into a sort of insect study lab, with picnic table, chairs, sketching & journaling desk, optics magnifying equipment, and assorted enclosures such as aquariums, terrariums, reptarian cages, Petri dishes, gallon glass jugs, mesh pop-up hampers, and the like.

We are still awaiting our 1st Monarch Butterfly to emerge from one of the chrysalides, but in the meantime we have been having great fun observing the butterfly eggs, tiny newly hatched larvae, the rapidly growing caterpillars, the skin sheddign for the 5 Instar stages, and the appearance of our first chrysalis.

Here is my photo collage I'd like to share with you, showing those different development stages, from egg to chrysalia, from some of the digital photos we have been taking during our study.

Birdwatcher

I dont think there is anything more amazing in nature than the life cycle of a butterfly/moth- and certainly nothing more beautiful than a monarch crysalis, etched in gold leafing. Beautiful collage

Love that to pieces, what a great way to encourage kids too, keep it up, and lets have more!!!
I adored nature watching as a youngster, and lucky for me that was all there was, TV forbidden, so nature replaced the "box", and I think in some ways a good thing too.
So few reach for the on off switch so kids really miss out on what is there for them just outside the window.
Good lesson and good idea to teach them, in an interesting way.
APPLAUSE, Nina.

Thank you for the compliments!

Yes, I, too, recall the wonder & awe of nature study in the pre-videogames, Cable TV, and couch potato days, back many moons ago.

Although I think the Internet, in its present form, and some Cable TV, such as The Discovery Channel, "can be" marvelous teaching tools, I am ever so glad I had the opportunity as a child to be more active and outdoors in nature for my major entertainment.

And I would have loved to have had an "older person" take enough interest in me to lead the way .. so I try to be that for youngsters now.

Birdwatcher

I'd love to see a number of Monarchs. We 'twitched' one in Cornwall a few years ago - couldn't believe how big it was.
I've recently read an interesting book about the migration of Monarch butterflies - 'Four Wings and a Prayer' have you seen it?

Great way to get kids interested Birdwatcher. You will have to post a picture of the emerged final product!

This photo collage is wonderful - I will never forget watching a Monarch emerge from its chrysalis in a small terrarium in school many years ago - probably when I was around 7 or 8 I think.
Thank you!