Three Generations of Painted Lady Butterflies
Meet our Painted Lady Butterflies (Vanessa Cardui). In 2010 we monitored the growth and metamorphosis of mealworms into darkling beetles. Later that school year, we re-evaluated the mealworms observation when initiated our first ever year of hatching chickens. Since then, at the start of the school year, we focused on observation skill, documenting questions, and exploring with real-world experiences by raising caterpillars. During the 2012-2013 school year, we successfully monitored and raised three generations of butterflies.
September 7, 2012 - Our caterpillars arrive. There were about 50 tiny caterpillars, enough for every student to monitor their own. Each student make scientific sketches, measure the growth, and interacted with their own caterpillar. Students documented the growth and changes to their caterpillar in a Keynote presentation. They later showed these presentations to 2nd graders who were studying bugs. They showed adult butterflies, eggs, molting, and chrysalis shells to these 2nd graders using microscopes.
September 29, 2012 - Some of the caterpillars have formed complete chrysalises. For a few days, the caterpillars could be found near the top of their individual containers. Some had mounted their "tails" to the paper towel covering, forming a tight button.
October 1, 2012 - Our first butterflies started to emerge. Based on research that the students had conducted, we knew this time was coming soon. So we removed each individual paper towel piecewith a chrysalis still mounted, and transfered them to the butterfly condo. This butterfly condo was a mesh and transparent container with ample room for the butterflies to dry their wings and fly about.
On the date that we originally planned to release the butterflies, the Blue Angles were visiting San Francisco. They were zipping around the airspace near our school. The classroom community thought that the Blue Angles experience would be too traumatizing for our butterflies friends, so we postponed the release until after the weekend.
October 8, 2012 - Upon our return to school, there were little green specks all over the bottom of the butterfly condos. We investigated them with microscopes and behold! Our butterflies had mated and laid eggs.
October 11, 2012 - Eggs Hatch (Generation #2)
November 8, 2012 - Chrysalises
December 5, 2012 - More eggs!
December 11, 2012 - Eggs Hatch (Generation #3)
