All seven eggs grew into seven caterpillars. And then seven chrysalises. And seven beautiful butterflies! This is the process of raising monarch butterflies. 

Searching for Monarch Eggs

Watching Monarch Caterpillars Grow

And then comes time to say, “Bye-Bye Butterfly.”

Caterpillar Eggs

CaterpillarCaterpillar Eating

Catties Making a "J"

 

 

Chrysalis

Monarch Butterfly

 

 

I was worried that the butterflies might all emerge while we were on vacation. But the day before we left, amidst packing and piles of gear on the dining room table, two of the butterflies came out.

First the emerald green chrysalis starts to turn darker as the covering becomes clear, and you can see the butterfly wings inside! I was watching ever so closely, and just walked into the kitchen to pack some snacks for the car ride. And when I walked back into the dining room just ten minutes later, there was the first butterfly sitting on the lid to their terrarium, drying its wings! Not long after, the second one emerged.

When the two butterflies had dried their wings for a few hours, my daughter and I stopped our packing to take the them outside and let them go. They tickle as they crawl on your finger. Sometimes they sit for a time, but eventually, they flutter off to a nearby branch or plant.

And we always say, “bye-bye butterfly.”

Good-bye Butterfly

Next: Monarch Caterpillar Transformation.

 

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