This summer we have gone beetle, bug & butterfly crazy!
The herb garden we planted last year has really helped as it has been absolutely awash with insects of all sorts.
Not all of the visitors have been welcome - that's you we're talking about you pesky rosemary beetles! - but we have had so much fun exploring the insect life
The highlight has undoubtedly been raising caterpillars.
We have released one lot of Painted Ladies already this summer.
We think these two are going to be Cabbage Whites but we're not sure as they're just caterpillars we found in the garden.
And right now we're getting all anxious about one little chrysalis we've got in the butterfly net who we think ought to be hatching any day and one very fat caterpillar we've got in the kitchen.If you haven't raised caterpillars with your kids, I can't recommend it enough. I never did it as a child and I was just as awestruck as the kids both watching the caterpillar make its chrysalis and then emerging as a butterfly.
So awesome!
The butterflies when they first emerge from the chrysalis will live quite happily in a butterfly net for a few days so you get a brilliant chance to observe them close up and at rest.
How to Raise Caterpillars
If you haven't raised caterpillars before I really recommend Insect Lore's Butterfly Garden. The kit comes with a butterfly net, vouchers that you send away for the caterpillars and advice that takes you through each stage.But once you've done it once get out in the garden, find your own caterpillars and then just:
- Keep them in a very well ventilated container
- Add some twigs they can use to get up and down the container
- Cover the container in some paper with holes in it
- Keep the container in a shady spot
- Give them leaves from the plants you found them on
- Give fresh leaves as soon as others start wilting
- Clear out the mess - little black droppings
- If you're lucky they'll make their chrysalis hanging from the paper you can then just transfer that into a butterfly net which you could buy or make yourself from netting
- They should take a week or two to emerge from their chrysalis
- Provide some flowers you have seen other butterflies feeding on for the butterfly when it emerges
- After half a day the butterfly may be willing to hop on your finger
- After a day or so the butterfly will be ready to fly off
Kids will be so awed by the whole process they may sit for hours at a time and watch the caterpillar making its chrysalis or waiting for it to emerge. Exploit that excitement and get the kids out in the garden looking for other bugs ... I'll be looking at load more bug activities your kids will love next week along with ways you can support them books and creative play.
In the meantime check out all the great posts on bugs of all sorts at the bottom of the post ... and if you've got your own bug related posts do feel free to link them up ...
The Insect Lore Butterfly Garden
Insect Lore produce a best selling Butterfly Garden (also available in the UK). We've bought it a number of times as presents and it has always been incredibly popular.
It's a great way to get started and once you've raised the initial caterpillars you can keep ordering more or just use the net for caterpillars you find in your own garden.
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