So our caterpillars arrived safely just over a month ago, and we put them out of the sunlight, and out of easy reach of Peter, but right where we could see them and watch them grow. They grew really fast, the smallest keeping just a little bit behind the others in size. Before very long it was clear that our littlest friend wasn't going to grow any more though. It didn't get much bigger than the others had been in the first place. The other four grew hairy backs, and markings, and changed colour gradually, and got very big ... and long ... and fat. They spun silk webs, and climbed to the top of their pot and dangled down, and went all over the place. Then when they were ready, which was only about 9 or 10 days after they had arrived if I remember correctly, they climbed up to the top of their pot and stayed right there, hanging in a very still J shape.
All of a sudden it seemed they were covered in a leaf-like covering - their chrysalis. I caught the last one (while Peter was eating his birthday tea with Gramps and his sisters, and I was on the telephone), wiggling constantly backwards and forwards. I had a closer look, and saw it was spinning its chrysalis around its body, working from the bottom up. I couldn't show the children immediately, and by the time I could tell them it had finished - it was really quick!
Then we had a week of watching for signs of life, while the caterpillars did a quick transformation inside. I really liked that stage because each chrysalis developed some spots down it that were completely golden in colour; they even had the gleem of gold. It was at this point that the caterpillars had to be transferred from their little pot to their hatching habitat.
Then Saturday morning of last week, after everyone was up and ready for the day, and we'd had our devotional, one of the girls said "Isn't that a butterfly in there? It must have hatched from its chrysalis while we were in the room, but we hadn't noticed. From that point on all available eyes were on the hatching butterflies. They were so quick coming out though that while watching another butterfly for only seconds it was possible to miss all of the action! Of course the camera was being temperamental, so not many photos, which is a shame.
We never fully saw them hatch, but did see one immediately as it had done, all curled up with squished, wings. After hatching they each walked to somewhere they could hold on easily, and pumped up their wings. They apparently pump blood into the blood vessels in their wings, which lets them spread out to full size, and then once the wings are hard enough they are able to fly. It was interesting to watch them flapping their wings and seeing a bit of a change. They were still pretty still for a while, and weren't flying around properly until the next day.
We collected some leaves and foliage from the garden to go in the bottom of the habitat, and then we had to go and ask a neighbour over the road for some sugar to make up some sugar water to feed to the butterflies (we had none in our house, as we don't use it anymore - I hadn't thought of that!) Rachael, our neighbour, was so excited and came over to see the butterflies for herself. After putting some sugar water in the flowers and some orange halves inside for the butterflies, we ended up taking them over to her house, and she and I watched the butterflies for a good while while the children enjoyed playing in her garden and with the toys she gets for when her granchildren come. Peter even came home with a little Winnie the Pooh ride-on toy that she was going to give away as her grandaughter never used it (he wouldn't leave it alone while there and was amazed when it was allowed to come home with him.)
While we were at Rachael's house, we were sat in a lovely bit of sun and the butterflies kept opening their wings wide. They did that each time they were in bright sun over the few days we had them. The one esoecially was sat on an orange half and looked just beautiful with its orange-patterned wings (I love colour - can you tell?!)
I kept wanting to go and get our camera, but never did, and I never did manage to get a photograph of that, but what a fantastic sight!
We enjoyed watching the butterflies feeding, identifying their body parts at close range without frightening them away, and taking in their beautiful markings. It wasn't until later on that I saw quite how beautiful the back of their wings are (when they're folded up) They had a beautiful silky sheen to them. Oh, and I loved how furry the butterflies were on the front and back of their bodies - so soft looking.
So they hatched on the Saturday, Michael got to be amazed and enjoy them for a while on Sunday afternoon while he was at home from his course, and then Monday afternoon we went to let them go. We took them to the bottom of our garden, and unzipped the lid of the habitat they had lived in so far. They didn't go anywhere for a couple of minutes, despite two of them already being right up at the top. Then it started to thunder, so we brought them back inside, just in time before it started to totally pour with rain. Glad we didn't release them then.
The next afternoon we let them go, in the same spot. The first two took less than thirty seconds before they were gone, and flying straight up high into the sky togther. The second took a couple more minutes, which let us observe the last two for a while with no netting or plastic lid in the way, which was lovely. It then flew out, but landed on the flowers just next to it for a short while before flying off in another direction. It was strange to see them suddenly just be gone.
The last butterfly just didn't want to go anywhere, and so for about forty minutes we got to spend some close time with this lovely little creature. Rebekah and Sarah fed it some more sugar water, and it had a good long feed there and on the banana and orange halves.
Then Hannah picked it up out of the net and everyone got a chance to hold it up close and have a good look. Hannah hadn't been nervous at all throughout. The others were, including myself a bit at first, but Hannah frequently went and put her hand inside the net to be with the butterflies. So when the butterfly decided to walk from the fruit she was holding onto her hand, and walk around but never want to go elsewhere, she was thrilled! The battery on the video camera had given out by this time, and I just didn't want to leave watching the butterfly to sort that out. We enjoyed it more first hand without the camera, and I drew a few sketches of the butterfly as Hannah held it in my nature book, which Hannah will get a copy of for her journal. It wandered around a fair bit though, so was always at different angles. We could see a proper face there, and could clearly see from the front where the probiscis is rolled up at the front (it unrolls for them to drink through - you can see it the photo of the butterfly drinking from the orange).
When it finally did fly away, you could tell it was about to go, and instead of just flying away it went round and round the climbing frame that we were right next to, and then up into the leaves of the tree above us, and then on from there after a while. Peter still tells me about the butterflies in the gerden going up high in the sky, so he must think about them. He had called the caterpillars "pillars" the whole time, keeping on wanting to look at them, and was a bit puzzled I think to start with when they weren't anymore. He liked the butterflies too though.
I'm glad we all got to see the stages first hand. Now the children just know what happens, and we have experienced a little of the beauty and wonder of creation instead of just learning about it. What a great gift it has been. Sarah says she'd like to do that again next year, for her birthday. Hannah was comparing her experience of holding the butterfly and having it explore her hand while she got to see it up close, to how excited she was about being baptised a few weeks ago. Apparently this experience is right up there behind her baptism as her most special experiences. She's a proper not-so-little nature-lover. :o)
1 comment:
how neat was that I saw those on tv and contiplated getting them for Ella. They really would love it! I am glad you shared ti with me i Think that next yr I may do it seeing how much your kids loved it!
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