Little faces peering at a caterpillar and then chrysalis are fun to watch. We have milkweed just outside our classroom door so kids alert me when they see lime greenish yellow and black monarch caterpillars. I pull out my enclosure and get ready for the awe inspiring process. This month, we put in two caterpillars but one escaped so we let it go outside. If that caterpillar wanted to get out that badly, then who were we to keep him in an enclosure?
After just over two weeks in his chrysalis, the butterfly emerged on a Tues. morning at 8 am. What perfect timing! This let his wings unfold and dry. We released the butterfly at the end of the day.
I drew a name for a student who would be the one to release our butterfly. The butterfly, who was named "Buddy" was reluctant to take flight, but he did after a few minutes.
A few tips...cover the bottom of the enclosure with newspaper. Caterpillars poop a lot and I like to reuse the enclosure. The chrysalis turns black the day or a couple of days before emerging. Don't worry, he's probably not dead. If you will be gone when the butterfly emerges, leave a cut up orange in the enclosure so he has food. Let him climb onto your finger when being released.Let him take his time.
