The Making of a Monarch Butterfly

A Monarch Butterfly

I don't have a story, but a song instead. Maybe some of you have heard of it. It goes like this:
"There was a caterpillar, who climbed up in a tree.
He wiggled long, he wiggled short, he wiggled right at me.
I put him in a box, 'don't go away', I said,
but when I opened up the box he was a butterfly instead.
Now,I can not make one, even if I tried, only God in heaven can make a butterfly."

The kids got to enjoy one of natures greatest things while we were staying at Don's Dads for the month of July. Diane, Don's Dads neighbor has been collecting the eggs off of milkweed from her yard for the past so many years and just loves to make jars for the kids so they can learn all about the changing from an egg to a caterpillar, to a chrysalis and then to a butterfly. It is very amazing to see how much the kids really take pride in watching their butterflies come to life and then let them go to be free.

 This is the caterpillar that Connor named "Stripey" before it turned into a chrysalis.

These are the containers that Diane makes for all the kids with the chryalis hanging and the kids have to wait for it to turn black and then usually the next morning the butterfly appears out of the shell. You then have to wait one day for the butterflies wings to dry out so that it can fly.

I think this was the biggest smile I have ever seen on Mara's face EVER, EVER, EVER. She was just ecstatic to see the life of a butterfly. We let it dry out for about 24 hours and then went next door at 7am to let it go.

Connor and Mara waiting patiently for Diane to come out so they could let "stripey" be free!

Connor is getting ready to hold the butterfly so that he can watch it fly away.

"Stripey" didn't want to leave Connor's hand, he was saying his goodbyes and then off he went to Mexico where all the Monarchs go to be free.

Pop Pop watching on as Connor lets the butterfly go.

Diane, Connor, Mara, and Gracie letting more butterflies go be free.

Just the biggest, brightest, happiest eyes and smile coming from watching the butterflies grow and letting them go. They were so very proud that morning.

Mommy holding the last butterfly, Mara was supposed to let it go, but at the last minute she got scared so I let him go, but she was still so happy.

"When we look at
life through a child's
eyes, my how our
view on life is so
different.  Children
do not share with
adults preconceived
notions about what
is true.  They just
believe.  As we grow
older and become
conditioned, the
things we learn
dictate how we
currently see the
world around us."
-LC