Kay's Butterfly Fun

 

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         Butterflies have been one of my interests for about 20 years. I have visited the Butterfly House at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA (when you reach the Hershey Garden's page, click on the Butterfly House link), and the one in the New York Museum of Natural History, in New York City.

 

         I have even raised five Painted Lady butterflies from caterpillars, in my home. One only lived one day, but the other four did quite well. You can purchase the beginner's package at The Science Store in your nearby mall. Just ask the salesperson to guide you. Or click on this link and purchase your package from them. Butterflies

         The five caterpillars arrived in their sealed, plastic jar with enough food to sustain them until they spun their chrysalis. This took about a week. They attached themselves to the underside of the jar lid just before they began to spin the chrysalis, and soon as they were all spun I moved the lining of the jar lid to the inside of a special butterfly box I had received with the caterpillars.

         They hung there about a week before they emerged as butterflies. The first one to emerge only lived one day, as I mentioned earlier, and the next day two more emerged and the following day the final two.  

         After watching them inside the special butterfly box in my house for about a week, I transferred them to a netted enclosure in my yard. In the process one escaped, so I was down to three. After about another week, another one escaped due to the netting not being closed tightly. Another week passed before one more escaped, and after keeping that lonely one another week, I took pity on it and released it. As it flew from the enclosure, it landed for a few moments on my right shoulder and then it flew to freedom.


          One summer I obtained a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar from the backyard butterfly habitat maintained by Ron Richael. It proceeded to go through the stages to become a butterfly, and below are these stages it went through.

                                                                            June 30th

                             Text Box: Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  Butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly  butterfly                                               

                                                                            July 5th

                                                                           

                                                                            July 7th

                                                                           

                                                                            She emerged July 20th