Butterflies in Flight   

Our class raised Painted Lady butterflies and we had five caterpillars to take us through the last three stages of the butterfly lifecycle. We really learned a lot about butterflies and were able to see first hand how a caterpillar hangs in a j-shaped position and creates a chrysalis. Our class was also able to visit the Susan B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens in Columbus, Georgia. Many of the kids were able to see butterflies using their proboscis to drink nectar. It was an amazing experience!

Butterfly Metamorphosis   

		Our caterpillars came in a small container. We watched as each caterpillar hung from the lid in a j-shaped position and quickly changed into a chrysalis. You can see the last caterpillar hanging from the lid in the j-shaped position.
		Once each caterpillar had entered the chrysalis stage, the chrysalis' were carefully hung about 2 inches from the base of the butterfly habitat. It took about three days before we saw our first butterfly emerge from its chrysalis.
		A few hours after our first butterfly emerged, we saw a second butterfly. Of course we wanted to do very little work on this day. All we wanted to do is gather around the butterfly habitat and watch intently to see if another butterfly emerged
		In this picture you can see that four of the butterflies have emerged from the chrysalis. After the pupa has left the chrysalis it looks almost transparent (see through). At the very bottom is one last pupa remaining. You can see the dark brown of its wings through the chrysalis.
		Sugar water and fruit were placed in the bottom of the butterfly habitat. The butterflies in this picture are using their proboscis to drink the nectar.
		We also added some brightly colored flowers to the habitat, which attracted the butterflies. Once all five butterflies had emerged, they were released in in the school's Butterfly Garden.

Butterfly Projects   

As part of our Butterfly Unit, students created butterfly diorama. Students worked very hard on their dioramas to create projects that depicted the four life cycle stages of a butterfly as well as the habitat of a butterfly.

The following pictures show the depth of understanding students demonstrated on both the life cycle and habitat of a butterfly.

Student Reflections   

    ~ Coming Soon ~

What was your most memorable experience from the butterfly project?

Student	Comment

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