Release the Butterflies!

A few weeks ago my class started a unit on butterflies.  We received the Painted Lady butterfly in the larva stage.  I had the kids transfer their own larva to a separate small container that contained an ample amount of food (provided by our science kit).  For about a week, the kids watched their tiny caterpillars eat their way to giant, fat, hairy caterpillars.  Then after a weekend, the kids came in an discovered their caterpillar was hanging from the top of each container in a chrysalis.  Once they were all bundled up in their chrysalis forms, I taped the lid of their containers to the lid of a special butterfly habitat and we waited.  For one complete week they watched, every morning before morning work, their little caterpillar to see any changes.  Over last weekend, the hatched!

Check out the video and pictures I took of them when we released them today!
 

Video of our Painted Lady release!



One of the butterflies found a flower and got a quick snack!



Just after opening the habitat!