Butterflies

About a month ago a friend of mine gave the kids a butterfly kit. You get the mesh "cage" thing and then send off for your caterpillars, much like the praying mantises except these guys are way easier. They come as caterpillars in little jars complete with all the food they need. They grow incredibly fast and within a week they attach themselves to the roof of their jar and make a chrysalis. Once they have all done this you take the lid and put it in the mesh habitat and wait for butterflies! The butterflies hatch out about a week later and fly around drinking sugar water that you provide for them. When you are ready you release them into the wild blue yonder!
Our caterpillars and their peanut butter looking food.

Grace with the habitat after some had hatched. If you click on this picture and see it bigger you may notice the red stains--that is not blood, it's butterfly meconium. It looks pretty gross. The flowers on the bottom are from our yard and we kept them spritzed with sugar water.

When Grace went to release the butterflies some didn't want to leave. She was able to put her hand in and two or three actually crawled on her hand and she took them out and then they flew away. She was careful not to touch their wings because she knows that if you get your oily hands on the wings they can no longer fly.

This was another fun critter experience but I have to say that I am thrilled that finally we have no little insect pets to care for. At least for now...