The "Blutterflies"

Our lesson on the life cycle of butterflies continues! These creatures are truly an amazing creation. So strong and yet so delicate...we've taken these "pets" out a few times and let the girls hold them (yes, they do fly around the house a bit, but they always come back!). The look of awe and excitement mixed with the squeals of glee as butterflies climb all over them is such a beautiful, wonderful thing. Seleia even (slightly) overcame her fear of bugs and has held them a couple of times ("I can't believe I held my first bug!" she says. I say, "I can't believe you'll dissect a fish without blinking but are squeamish about a butterfly!").  I believe the names ended up as Felicity, Eloise, Emily and Molly. Did you know that Painted Ladies are most often chosen by breeders and schools to raise because they can be fed an artificial diet? Or that the emergence from the  chrysalis is called eclosion? You can tell a butterfly is a Painted Lady when it had four eyespots on the lower wing; the American Lady has only two. I'm sure our butterflies will leave us soon, but then we can begin our Butterfly Habitat gardening and meet new friends all summer long!