The story of Huckle Buckle Beanstalk.

About a month ago I had done some reading online about Monarch caterpillars and how easy it was to find them, feed them and watch them turn into butterflies.  So, after I did my research and knew what to do to take care of one we set off on an adventure to find a Monarch caterpillar.

 Seth decided early in the adventure that it was just too much work. 

 But the girls were having lots of fun looking on all the milkweed plants for a caterpillar. 

 Amazingly, we found one not too long after our search began! 

 We brought him home and set him up in his new home.  Lydia named him Huckle Buckle Beanstalk.  I called him Huckle for short. 

 We got him new milkweed leaves and cleaned out his container every day. Who knew that caterpillars pooped so much!?!  I guess it makes sense considering the amount they eat.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar book was not exaggerating!

 After a few weeks Huckle started to turn darker in color.  I watched him closely and noticed he had silk coming out of his hind end.  Sure enough that afternoon he attached himself to the screen on the top of his container.  I was so excited.  Until later that day Jake came in from the garage and said that the screen was slid off and Huckle was slightly squished.  He wasn't dead but we watched him for a few days and realized that he wasn't going to form his chrysalis. I did some more reading and found that if the caterpillar is disturbed while entering the pupa stage he will not live.  Bummer. 

But, happily, the day after we got our caterpillar Nana also found one near their house. And just a few days prior it had formed it's pupa!!  So Lydia asked Nana if we could 'borrow' her caterpillar.  She said yes and even delivered him to us the next day. 
I sat Huckle II up on the table between two cups- he was attached to the lid of the jar he had been in- and we waited. 

 And watched.  And waited.  And watched.  And waited.  Then....yesterday I noticed the chrysalis looked much darker than it had.  I looked closely and saw that the orange, black and white color of his wings was visible through the chrysalis!  I was so excited.   This morning as I was getting breakfast ready I checked on him and saw that his wings were VERY visible, almost like nothing was holding him in.  I walked away for a few minutes then went back to check and.....

 Just as I looked at him he emerged!!!!!!!!  It was amazing!  I yelled for Lydia to come quick and she got there just in time to see his shriveled little self  hang from his former home.  I can not tell you how excited I was. 

 We set him up and watched him while we ate breakfast.  It took about a half hour for his wings to get big (and his body to get little- he had to pump the fluid from his body into his wings to make them big).  It was awesome. 

I took him outside to see if he wanted to fly away but he was having trouble staying upright when walking.  So I did some more reading and found that it takes 3-4 hours for their wings to dry.  So we brought him back in and he's in the mudroom hanging upside down again.  We'll probably release him this evening.  Lydia wants to keep him and feed him but I don't want to watch him die- which he will most likely do since it's cold and food supplies are probably not great now. 
Next year I plan to try to find one (or two or three!) earlier in the year so I feel they have a better chance of making it to the South before cold weather gets here.  I read that it is good to keep caterpillars and 'help' them become butterflies because in the 'wild' they have a pretty good chance of not making it to adulthood.  I have to say that I learned a lot from this experiment and I LOVED it.  The life cycle of a butterfly is absolutely amazing.  And, of course, offers an opportunity to learn not only about the change that can take place in the caterpillar's life but also the change that can take place in our own lives through the power of Jesus Christ.  "I may never fly like a butterfly, but God can change my life....."