The caterpillars are here!
They survived an overnight on our porch (I forgot to check for delivery…ooops!) They also endured a trip to Cooper’s school yesterday where the curious preschoolers crowded around and watched them eat and eat and eat.
Growing butterflies has proved to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, however. So far this morning, only one of our five caterpillars is eating, and he’s markedly bigger than the others. I’m not sure what might have happened overnight. Uh oh! This may require a second effort, perhaps one where I remember to check the porch for packages.
We continue to water our seeds and keep them in the windowsill. So far, no sprouts, but I’m crossing my fingers.
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Published by Kirsten W. Larson
Kirsten W. Larson used to work with rocket scientists at NASA. Now she writes books for curious kids. She’s the author of WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek, 2020), A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Her Who Changed Everything, illustrated by Katy Wu (Clarion, 2021); THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars are Made of, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle, 2023), THIS IS HOW YOU KNOW, illustrated by Cornelia Li (Little, Brown, 2024) and THE LIGHT OF RESISTANCE, illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Roaring Brook, 2023) along with 25 other nonfiction books for kids. She's a geek, LEGO lover, and sock enthusiast. Find her at kirsten-w-larson.com or on Twitter/Instagram @KirstenWLarson.
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Kirsten W. Larson 
One of my cousins raised Monarch Butterflies from eggs on her apartment balcony. I seem to remember that she had problems with the caterpillar stage. (She’s enroute to her hometown for her mother’s funeral, or I’d check with her.)
Good luck with them! It’s an awesome experience.
Well, I’m sure leaving them out overnight didn’t help. But they all seemed so peppy yesterday once they warmed up. Hmmmm….
As long as the big caterpillar isn’t getting bigger because he’s eating the smaller ones you’re probably still okay 🙂
So far, so good. Ha, ha.
Wish my kids would be interested longer than 2 minutes to do this again! Have fun!
Well, that’s about our attention span too. So far it seems to be ok.
I’ve never heard of anyone trying to grow butterflies, what a wonderful thing to do. Beats growing cress doesn’t it? Good luck!
According to my mom, this is a popular elementary school project. Her school does is with kinder. I am crossing my fingers. My caterpillars don’t seem to have much pep.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you seeds. They look a tad dry to me, but it’s hard to tell fro the picture. Did you moisten the dirt before you planted? Good luck. My kids had fun with this activity. We planted them before we left for Oregon. I doubt they’ll make it to summer, but we had fun anyway. 🙂
They sprouted Hannah! Now if it ever gets warm, we’ll transplant them outside. Off to water them again.