Butterflies!

Annalyse: "B is for butterfly and butterflies help us know that God makes all things beautiful."

After reading books and doing crafts about the life cycle of butterflies, we mailed in a coupon for a cup of caterpillars so we could observe the metamorphosis process firsthand.

There were some excited squeals when a cup of five small caterpillars arrived in our mailbox! Annalyse was prompt to decide they needed to be in her bedroom so she could watch them everyday, but that "they needed to be high up so Jaxton wouldn't spill them or kill them."

We watched the caterpillars eat and eat and eat and get fatter and fatter and fatter. In one short week they crawled to the top of the cup, hooked themselves to the lid, and began spinning their silky chrysalises. 

Annalyse carefully moved each chrysalis to a butterfly habitat and, this time, placed them on the dining room table. "Now that they are about to hatch into something beautiful I want them to be where everyone can see them."

For some reason, this phase seemed to take the longest, even though it was only five to seven days before all the chrysalises hatched. Maybe because they looked like dead leaves that weren't doing anything... but inside, Annalyse knew big changes were happening!

One by one the butterflies hatched. We only caught two of them emerging, and it was so interesting to watch! The struggle to get out, to unfold their wings, to straighten their legs, to move their tongue - all big effort for a little insect.

Annalyse put some sliced strawberries and sugar water in the habitat and observed them for another week until their bodies were ready to fly into freedom.

One morning she proudly carried her habitat next door so that her little friend could see the butterflies and join in the fun of holding one before it was released. It was so fun to watch the littles laugh over the tickling butterfly legs, and it was precious to see Annalyse be a patient teacher showing just how to handle the butterfly "without touching his wings so that it won't be able to fly and get nectar."

A simple science project that was worth every penny!