After spring break I sent away for the containers of larvae.  They arrived Friday, April 23rd.  Throughout the next week we’ve watched the caterpillars grow and change into chrysalides.  On April 30th I moved them into their butterfly pavilion habitat.  It took seven to ten days to change into Painted Lady butterflies.  Once the butterflies were ready, we released them.  Here are a few fun facts:

• She can lay up to 500 eggs.

• She is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world.

• She may travel 1,000 miles in her lifetime.

• She tastes with her feet.

• She has 10,000 eyes.

• She breathes through her abdomen

On Thursday, May 6^th we noticed movement in our butterfly habitat.  By the end of the day, we had three butterflies.  We were amazed!  It had only been 6 days.  The next day we had 6 more new butterflies.  We had one late bloomer arrive on Tuesday, May 11^th.  All the caterpillars were a painted lady butterfly.  We discussed the releasing of the butterflies on Wednesday, May 12^th after the rain storm moves out of our area.  Some students don’t want to release them yet, but we believe it would be better for them to get into their real habitat. 

 The literature from Insect Lore stated “Once released, the butterflies can often be seen for several days in the vicinity of their release.”  This made some students feel better.