Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis
Butterfly Metamorphosis

A Butterfly For Kids - How to Raise a Live Butterfly With Your Kids (Butterflies Are Easy and Fun!)
By Kelly L Ballard

Kids love butterflies. Attracting a butterfly for kids to raise is a rewarding experience for all involved. The life stages of a butterfly include the butterfly egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly and by attracting butterflies to your yard you can watch each of these stages in your home. Witnessing the butterfly metamorphosis is fascinating for both kids and adults and it is a surprisingly easy, educational and especially fun activity.

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Here are the simple steps you can take with your kids to attract butterflies:

1.) First you need a few nectar plants to attract the butterflies to your yard. I recommend 2-3 Lantana Camara plants, and 3 or more Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) plants to start with. These plants will be attractive to several species of butterflies including Monarch butterflies and Black Swallowtails (Anise Swallowtails on the West Coast) both of which are common and easy butterflies for kids.

2.) Second you will need a host plant on which your butterflies will lay their eggs. Three or more Parsley plants work great for Black/Anise Swallowtails and your Milkweed plants are the host plants for the Monarch butterfly as well as serving as a nectar plant for many butterflies.

3.) Help your kids plant the lantana, milkweed and parsley with each plant type grouped together either in the ground or in several large containers. Butterflies are attracted to group plantings of the same plant.

Butterfly Metamorphosis

4.) When you find butterfly eggs or caterpillars on your plants (usually mid-late summer) you can bring them indoors on cuttings of the plant. Continue to provide cuttings of the host plants to your caterpillars until they turn into a chrysalis (usually 2-3 weeks).

5.) Within 1-2 weeks your kids will have a beautiful butterfly emerge from the chrysalis. After it hangs for a few hours to strengthen and dry its wings it will be ready for release so it can begin the amazing butterfly life cycle once again.

I have to warn you - you and your kids may be pleasantly hooked on butterflies after this experience!

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis

Butterfly Metamorphosis
Butterfly Metamorphosis

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