The Science of Butterflies

Since you last saw our caterpillar friends, much has changed in our classroom. Our tiny creatures went from being less than a centimeter long to about 3 in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, they are difficult to photograph. We learned that as caterpillars walk, they spin silk from their mouths. Eventually, their tiny habitat cups become cloudy with silk, making it almost impossible to see through. Just this past weekend, though, our caterpillars went through enormous changes - each and every one molted one last time, hung in a J-shape from the tops of their habitats, and have all now transformed into the chrysalis stage! They were carefully moved to our class habitat where they will hang by their silk buttons and complete their metamorphosis by soon turning into Painted Lady butterflies.