Give kids butterflies

Every summer as a child, I would sit for hours with my dog-eared copy of Butterflies, Skippers, and Moths by Sandersohn and Ayars in my lap and watch butterflies flitter through my yard--yellow sulphurs, monarchs, viceroys...  I learned as much as I could about each butterfly that stopped in our garden.

Occasionally, my sister and I would freeze like statues and watch in awe as a monarch miraculously unrolled its long proboscis and sucked up the nectar in the center of a brightly colored flower and its petals. How I wished I could witness one of these beautiful winged insects emerging from a chrysalis.

Someone must have a yard where monarchs laid eggs on milkweed--if only I could get some milkweed and watch a monarch  metamorphosis myself. Determined, I decided to ask every teacher and friend at my elementary school if milkweed grew in their yard. My band teacher promised to bring me some milkweed from a meadow by his home.  One morning he ceremoniously handed me a bouquet of milkweed. I peered under the leaves looking for yellow, black, and white striped caterpillars. I was disappointed to discover there were none to be found--only leaves.

"Look carefully...," Mr. Dillman said. Clinging to the stems of the milkweed was not one but two pale green monarch chrysalises. I was in butterfly heaven!

During the next few weeks, my sister and I watched patiently as the beautiful jade green case grew more and more transparent-- we could see the orange, black, and white of each monarch's wings getting brighter and brighter each day. Finally the day came when both monarchs miraculously emerged from their chrysalises. We spent the entire afternoon watching the butterflies unfurl their wings and pump blood into their veins. Of course, I read about each step in the dog-eared copy of Butterflies, Skippers, and Moths that I held in my lap.

That spring, my life was changed by a special teacher. Always in awe of animals and wildlife, I had yearned to "see for myself" some of nature's miracles. I'll be forever thankful that he took an extra step to bring a unforgettable experience into the life of a ten year old freckle-faced girl--me!

Take a step outdoors with a child this summer. Libraries and bookstores are full of great butterfly and moth guides. Visit one of the web sites below and learn some fascinating butterfly facts. Learn about each butterfly's habitat with a child and learn which plants the caterpillars feed upon. Perhaps your child will want to witness a butterfly metamorphosis firsthand.  Several web sites now sell kits with caterpillars  indigenous to your area. This summer, give your children butterflies!

Frequently asked butterfly questions

Outdoor Nature Activites for Kids

Butterflies 2000

The Monarch Butterfly

Coloring Pages of the Butterfly Life Cycle

Butterfly kits for kids