Butterfly Farm

We are so blessed to have a butterfly farm right around the corner from our house.  We have been there on field trips before, but it has been a long time since we have been back- too long. 

Ms. Nora begins with a presentation about the butterfly, its life cycle, and the differences between moths and butterflies.

Julia was the butterfly in her chrysalis...

Rachel was the moth.  Moths build a cocoon with their "friends"...

and then it was time for them to all break out...

After the presentation we moved into the butterfly house.  They were everywhere you looked and were very active that day. Such beautiful monarchs...

The kids are given cotton pads soaked with sugar water.  These treats are like ice cream cones to the butterflies and they happily drink from them while being held. The kids are taught how to let them taste so they can pick them up.

The girls had fun determining if they had boys or girls.  One has black spots on its wings, the other doesn't...

In the corner, the butterflies congregate on the milkweed plants to lay their eggs.

From the eggs, hatch caterpillars the size of an eyelash! They milkweed nonstop and grow 3,000 times their birthweight in two weeks!!

Then they hang upside-down in a j-shape to make their chrysalis- a beautiful green sack, lined at the top with tiny sparkling "jewels"...incredible! When the chrysalis becomes clear, out comes the butterfly!

Carter was quite the "butterfly whisperer"...

By the end, his arms were full...

Julia was just enchanted by the experience with these beautiful creatures...

After our time in the butterfly house, it was time to cool off in the misters...

Aaaaahhhhh, so refreshing!!