Photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash
Photo by Yuichi Kageyama on Unsplash

Butterfly Observation Journal

Emerging Butterfly Craft

Painted Lady Life Cycle Video

While you watch the video, notice how:

-it eats lots for the first 8 days and gets really big!

-it spins a silk pad to attach itself onto the tree branch

-it hangs in a J shape and forms a chrysalis

-the chrysalis gets harder and changes colour

-it is constantly changing and growing inside the chrysalis, this is called “metamorphosis”

-you can see part of its wing through the chrysalis as it grows

-the wings are wet at first but it gets dry later and emerges into a beautiful Painted Lady Butterfly!

Butterfly Growth- DAY 1 (May 11)

DAY 5 (May 15)

The caterpillar are bigger now. They are eating a lot and growing a lot! Can you see their feet? They are called prolegs.

Day 8 (May 19)

The caterpillar are really big (about an inch long) now. They are shedding their skin!

Day 12 (May 22)

The caterpillars are very big now! One caterpillar hangs upside down in a J-shape and is getting ready to form a pupa!

Day 13 (May 23)

Five caterpillars are hanging in J-shape now. Click here to watch one of the pupa shaking and growing!

Day 15 (May 25)

The caterpillar are in the butterfly cage now. All 6 caterpillars have formed a pupa and are hanging in the cage. Look closely. Can you see the lines and bumps forming? What colour are they?

Day 22 (June 1)

Today something exciting happened. One of the caterpillars emerged! Here is a video of this happening. Its wings are still wet and curled. The butterfly is moving and pumping blood to its wings to get them dry and flat. The picture underneath shows the butterfly fully emerged now. Notice the red liquid on the bottom. This is called meconium and is the butterfly’s waste when it first emerges.

Day 23 (June 2)

A third caterpillar has emerged into a beautiful butterfly! This video captures the butterfly just as it slides out of the bottom of the pupa. Thanks to Mrs. Lee’s son for being able to record this moment. He needed to sit nearby and watch it for a long time before noticing it start to emerge!

Day 24 (June 3)

Five out of the six caterpillars have now emerged! They sip the sweet liquid from the orange slices and rest for most of the day.

Do you notice the different parts of the butterfly’s body and the pretty colours and symmetry of its wings? I wonder when the last butterfly will emerge? Check back in a few days for a video of our butterfly release!

Day 25 (June 4)

Today Mrs. Lee released the butterflies into our school garden! We will miss you but we know that you will have a happy life here! Watch the butterfly release video here.

(pic 1) The butterfly cage in the garden. (pic 2) Mrs. Lee getting ready to release the butterflies. (pic 3 & 4) The butterflies have settled into some flower plants. Goodbye butterflies!