Caterpillar Time Again

Kade used to not like holding the caterpillars.  They make a sticky web as they crawl along and he used to think it felt too weird.  Now he is a pro and asked to hold them every day.

     It is surprising how soft the caterpillar’s skin is.  Kade likes to pet them.

We were lucky this year to find four, one for Kade’s class, one for Jaxson’s, one for home, and one for our neighbors.

After they are done eating they attach themselves and hang upside down in a J.

  Then they start to wiggle and turn in to a chrysalis.  At first it is just green but soon you can start seeing the wings inside.  Kade asked me why it has gold dots on it.  I told him they were just decorations.  He didn’t believe me and decided it was because they glow so you can find them when it’s dark.

When it is ready to hatch it becomes translucent.

In all the years I’ve done this I have never seen one hatch.  Jaxson and I were in the right place at the right time this year and got to watch the whole thing.  It was pretty amazing.

      Before we let them go we like to feed them sugar water to watch their tongues uncurl.

This one is a boy.  You can tell by the dots on his lower wings. Kade got to let it go (Jaxson said, “no way”).  Kade said it’s legs felt scratchy.

Dad’s fast camera work catching it fly away.

We were going to take one to Jaxson’s class but it hatched a couple hours before his school started so we let two go at home.  This one was a female because it doesn’t have dots on her lower wings.

Kade told each butterfly to have a good trip to Mexico (they migrate there for the winter).