Last year, my kids wanted to raise a wild caterpillar. We named him Greenie:

He’s that small sticky looking thing next to the apple leaf. We did lots of research, and we tried to make a good go of it. But it turns out we stink at raising caterpillars. R.I.P. Greenie.

Maybe sometime in the future we’ll order a premade kit and have better luck. For now, we’ll stick to the lesson we learned: wild things should be kept in the wild.

We did enjoy learning about butterflies, and I wrote a set of poems about the life cycle of butterflies. I’d like to dedicate them to Greenie (there’s a coloring page at the end!):

-THE BUTTERFLY SUITE-

Monarch’s Nursery

With a leaf for a crib

and no nanny to beg,

so begins life

as a butterfly egg.

 

Dining Hall

 The sleepy little caterpillar loves to munch and munch,

laying on his underside for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.

Shedding skin that feels too thin, he eats leaves with a crunch.

The growing bigger caterpillar loves to munch and munch.

 

Dressing Chambers

 Pupa, pupa changing quick,

hanging underneath your stick.

First you’re green and then you’re brown,

trading kid-clothes for a gown.

 

 The Ballroom

 They twirl and glide, this dancing pair.

Then dip a curtsy in midair.

Waltzing wind, they flutter by…

I wish I were a butterfly.

 

And here’s a butterfly life cycle coloring page:

Here’s a pdf copy: Butterfly Life Cycle Coloring Page.

And here’s a color version with answers: Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle.