Painted ladies emerged from their chrysalises. Paula Kane

Eighth Annual Butterfly Release at Phillips Elementary School. Paula Kane

PHILLIPS – In the days before Phillips Elementary School released students for the summer, Tami Bredeau’s second graders released the painted lady butterflies which they had been raising throughout the Spring.

The eighteen budding entomologists began their observations when the butterflies were still tiny caterpillars. The eggs had hatched en route to the school. After observing these “crawly critters” for four days, the students watched closely as Mrs. Bredeau transferred each individual larva into a little plastic cup. Using a paint brush, she added a spoonful of mashed up milkweed for food. A lid with the scientist’s name topped each cup.

As the observations continued, each student kept a daily journal, drawing pictures of everything they saw. During the larvae stage it was “mostly eating and eating and pooping and pooping”, reported Mrs. Bredeau, “It was really messy!”

Two new vocabulary words were added to the journals about this time: “frass” and “meconium”. Caterpillar poop is called frass. Meconium is “the red fluid that butterflies and moths eject after they leave the chrysalis. Meconium is a metabolic waste product from the pupal stage that is expelled through the anal opening of the adult butterfly. It is not blood.”*

Observers also noted that “they grow really fast!” It was only ten days or so before the caterpillars were spinning their chrysalises on the lids of their containers. Once this process was complete, each chrysalis was moved, ever so carefully, into a three-foot tall net. Using velcro, each lid with its cocoon was attached to the netting.

Once the chrysalises were in the net, the only thing to do was wait and watch some more. After a few days, a lid or a sponge  with sugar water was added to provide food for the butterflies once they hatch.

During this time, the youngsters read up on what was happening inside the cocoons, the “truly amazing” process of change from one stage of life to the next. They also completed various work pages, such as diagramming the life cycle, labeling the parts of the butterfly, and coloring pictures of the butterfly. They also watched some science videos.

Ten more days, the metamorphosis was complete and the butterflies began slowly to emerge, much to the delight of all observers. At this point, the final step was to arrange a release date. The temperature must be at least 55 degrees and “we’d had quite a cold spell”, Mrs. Bredeau shared, “but it worked out really well that the last (cocoon) hatched on a Friday…”

The release took place in a location with lots of flowers so the adult butterflies would be able to collect nectar. These butterflies will fly off to find mates and the whole cycle will begin again.

Each student was awarded a Butterfly Raising Certificate which read: “This certificate is awarded to Budding Entomologist (student’s name) for learning the butterfly life cycle and helping to increase the butterfly population by protecting, observing, and caring for…(name of butterfly if they gave one)….as they develop into happy, healthy, and helpful pollinators.”

“The kids love it,” Mrs. Bredeau concluded.

One final note, there are 17,500 types of butterflies in the world! 750 of these are found in the United States.