July 8, 2008

• Caterpillar to Chrysalis

  We have had a fun summer project happening at our house. A retired couple from our church asked me if I thought Isaac would enjoy raising monarch butterflies. When I responded “Absolutely!” they generously made arrangements to bring us a butterfly cage they had constructed, fully loaded with 5 caterpillars, milkweed for the caterpillars to feed on and twigs for them to climb around on. After a couple of days, we noticed there were 6 caterpillars in our cage! Apparently there was an un-hatched egg on one of the milkweed leaves, and our “Late Bloomer” became our favorite caterpillar (mostly because we could easily distinguish him from the others since he was so much smaller). The summer schedule being what it is, we planned to head out to the lake over the 4th of July. We made sure there was plenty of fresh milkweed for our caterpillar friends, and just before we left on the evening of the 3rd, we noticed that one of the caterpillars was hanging from the roof of the cage in the tell-tale “J” formation that signals it is getting ready to shed it’s skin and move into the chrysalis stage. Indeed, when we arrived back home late Saturday night, the 5th of July, we discovered that 4 of our caterpillars had made the transformation, and the fifth had J’d up and was ready to change. By Sunday morning, there were 5 chrysalis’s in the cage. Our Late Bloomer continued munching and growing, however — as always, just a few days behind his cohorts. This morning, I discovered him hanging from the roof. He was ready to move on as well. I vowed I would not miss this moment, so I parked myself next to the cage with a good book and kept a close eye on Bloomer. At about 11:45 this morning, he seemed to get somewhat agitated, wiggling and struggling in an unusual way. Pretty soon he started to straighten out and what I can only describe as “contractions” began to occur along the entire length of his body. I quickly grabbed my camera, put it in video mode, and called the boys to come and watch! I have posted, for your viewing, the video I took of this incredible transforming process. It happened surprisingly fast, as you will see. I hope you enjoy it and find it as interesting as we did!
  
  According to reading I have done, the chrysalis’s should be ready to hatch into butterflies about 10 to 14 days after they form. That means all but late bloomer should hatch before we leave on our annual vacation up north. We might have to bring Bloomer with us and release him up there, if he has not hatched by the time we leave. I don’t know how exactly we will transport a chrysalis that is only a few days (or perhaps hours) from hatching, but be assured, I will find a way!  Failing that (or if I discover that it is too hazardous to the butterfly) I will ask our neighbors to release Bloomer after he hatches.  (I keep calling Bloomer HE, but I won’t actually know his sex until after he hatches — you can tell if a monarch butterfly is male or female by it’s distinctive wing pattern.)

  My sister, who homeschooled my nephew and now teaches at a small, private Christian school, suggested I make a “lapbook” about this project with Isaac.  I had never heard of a lapbook before, but after checking into it online, I can see that Isaac and I would LOVE this approach to documenting all that we are learning (because we are truly learning about this together).  Hopefully I can put some of my many scrapbooking skills and supplies to good use and make a lapbook that will be a permanent reminder of our butterfly adventure.

  PICTURES:

   

   

   

   

  The butterfly cage shortly after we got it.
  

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

  A view of three of our caterpillars.  You can tell which one is Bloomer (the little one).

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

  Bloomer munching away at a milkweed leaf.

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

  Isaac keeps a close eye on things.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

  Our first caterpillar makes the move to become a chrysalis, while another caterpillar “looks on”.

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

  Close-up of the first chrysalis.  You can faintly see the outline of what will become the butterfly’s wings through the chrysalis walls.  Eventually these walls will become more and more transparent, and the monarch colors, the well-known orange and black, will show through.

   

   

   

   

       

   

  This is how I found Bloomer this morning.

   

   

   

   

   

  

  You can see the difference between the new chrysalis and the one that formed two days ago.

   

   

   

   

   

  

  The cast off caterpillar skin (and lots of caterpillar poop — who knew caterpillars pooped so much?)

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

  The new chrysalis about 1/2 hour after forming.  It is already starting to look more like the others.

   

   

   

   

  

   

  Six caterpillars-in-waiting.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  RESOURCES:

  Monarch Watch

  Making Lapbooks

  It looks like I will be busy the rest of the summer.  I wonder if I will get through my reading list?

   

  • 10:57 pm
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