"Without Change There Would be No Butterflies"

This weekend, my niece visited our new home.  She loved it!  It is right up her alley as Meredith is a special girl.  She has, since she was very little, had a curiosity about all crawling things, and now at 16 years of age, has decided that she will study Entomology.  


There are lots of crawly things in our front yard!  We went on a walk and she helped me gather Monarch butterfly caterpillars so that Dustin and Alexia would be able to follow their change, and as they live at a distance, I have been elected to be the keeper of the caterpillars, and will photograph their metamorphosis.

Below is a picture of their poop which is almost as big as they are....  You have to clean their home every day. 

There are five caterpillars that we have collected.  Four of them are quite large and may make their cocoon this week!

They have a voracious appetite!  Papa and I have taken turns searching for milkweed leaves for them.  (The things we do for our grandchildren!)

I am still not keen on handling them... so I don't.

The fellow below seems sleepy.  Perhaps he is thinking about making a change....however, I have found that Monarch Caterpillars are sleepy and slow in the morning, but once they feel the warmth of the sun, they become more active(much like the rest of the world!)

This fellow is the biggest.  He has been known to bully a smaller caterpillar that shares his abode. 

These guys will be traveling with me to Bracebridge today so that I can ensure that they are well fed and cared for. 

So...Alexia and Dustin... this is what Nana does when you are not here.  You see, we think about you all of the time!

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