09/03/99

Raising Butterflies

Kirsten Cooke, mother of three, wrote to me about a fascinating project she and her children were absorbed with all summer, a project you and your family could try this fall. Just follow the steps Kirsten outlines below to raise a few butterflies of your own!

"It is a little bit of magic. When you watch a monarch butterfly take those first drunken flights on new wings, you feel privy to a natural miracle. And when you raise them from pinpoint-size eggs, you have truly witnessed nature's metamorphosis at its best.

"We spent this past summer with unusual houseguests; our children raised monarch butterflies. For Andrew, Allison, and Sam the experience of watching a process they read about in science class was exciting and educational. Looking for changes in the butterfly development becomes a daily routine and watching the dramatic transitions as the larva pupates and the butterfly emerges are both amazing and exciting.

"It begins with the egg.

"The female monarch lays tiny eggs on milkweed plants in the summer, so continually checking area plants is the first step in raising a butterfly. The eggs are laid sparingly, usually only one egg per plant to ensure a food supply for the developing larva.

"Eggs are laid on the underside of the milkweed leaf; once you find one, take the entire stem of the plant. This way, you will provide the food it needs until it reaches the caterpillar stage.

"Watch the egg carefully and keep the plant stem in a cup with water. Soon the egg will darken and a larva will begin to emerge. The larvae are very happy to stay on their original milkweed plant and don't move around much for the first few days. Once they start moving, they begin to eat a lot of milkweed, so it is important to keep the milkweed plentiful and fresh.

"This is where the fun really begins. The caterpillars grow so fast that if you don't check them for a few days, their size nearly doubles. In our experience, the caterpillars never left the leaves, but did produce a good amount of tiny droppings.

"At this stage it is best to move the milkweed stems into a larger container. We used a 2-liter plastic soda bottle with the top cut off. We added a piece of screen to the top, secured with bobby pins, once the critters started really moving around.

"The larvae grow from the size of a grain of rice to an inch or two in length. They become fat little caterpillars, storing up their food supply for the pupa stage. When the larvae are ready to pupate they find a spot on a leaf, attach themselves with silken thread and form the letter "J" with their bodies. The process that the caterpillar goes through to become a pupa is exciting to watch, but you have to look for it, because it happens very quickly.

"When the pupa is complete, you will notice beautiful gold dots around the crown and towards the bottom. The adult butterfly emerges from this pupa after 10-14 days. Leaving the pupa undisturbed is a good idea. At our house, we watched very carefully, but did not handle the larva or pupa. When the adult is getting ready to emerge, the pupa appears darker and wings are visible through the lining. You can notice the outline of the distinct Monarch color patterns. At this stage, everyone marveled at how a full-grown butterfly could fit into the small pupa. "It must be folded pretty tight," exclaimed Sam.

"Before your butterfly emerges from the pupa, the pupa becomes very, very dark, almost black in color. This is your clue to not take your eyes off of the container. We missed the first one emerge during our morning routine. With our second butterfly, Sam and I carried the cage with us to every room (very carefully of course), determined not to miss the opening. We still missed it both times by varying lengths. The second time the butterfly emerged I noticed it right after, while the wings were still crumpled and wet. It doesn't move much for hours, working to inflate its wings and dry them from the harrowing process. The body is covered with intricate patterns and colorings you may not have noticed before.

"Take this time to really examine the butterfly; its body, head, antennae and wings are delicately formed but are made to withstand a good amount of punishment. It is OK to handle the butterfly once its wings are dry. Before releasing ours, Sam and I handled it carefully, letting it crawl along our fingers and fan its wings.

"Releasing a butterfly is bittersweet. After watching their progress for weeks, it is often sad for children to let them go. "It is almost like raising a seeing-eye dog and then giving it away," mused Sam as our second monarch flew to the roof. "I'm going to miss him." As the butterfly flew toward a tree and disappeared into a mass of branches, Sam turned to me with a huge toothless grin, "Let's do it again!" he exclaimed. So we did."

Author's Note: Thank you, Kirsten, for telling SNET readers about this incredible project that any family can try for students of any age to learn from.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.