In our Grade 3/4 classroom we have raised Painted Lady butterflies. The Painted Lady's scientific name is Vanessa cardui; find out more about this beautiful butterfly! Our butterflies are Painted Ladies. The butterfly kit we ordered arrived with larvae (caterpillars), some small containers to keep them in, and some food. Our first job was to put food in the containers to get them ready for the caterpillars. Then we moved the larvae into their new homes! They stayed there for about a week, eating. Soon the caterpillars began spinning threads, each to form its own pupa, called a chrysalis. Each larva grabbed hold of the top of its container, and wrapped the silk around itself to form a hard shell. They stayed inside for about a week. They're turning into butterflies. We moved the container lids into the butterfly box, and taped them to its ceiling, and we're waiting ... Our first try at hatching butterflies wasn't successful. The caterpillars didn't seem to eat, and none of the butterflies emerged. However, our second try (spring 2001) resulted in a classroom full of butterflies ... here are some pictures.

Here is our butterly box. As you can see, fancy equipment isn't necessary. The butterflies don't care that they're living in an old cardboard box! Most of the butterflies have emerged, and are slowly fanning their wings to dry them. Very soon they will want to fly, and we will have to release them.

Here is a close-up of one of our Painted Ladies with its wings up. This type of butterfly has very large and clearly defined body parts, so you can see what they look like up close very easily. The eyes ae particularly striking. For a while, the butterflies will be content to sit in the box, as their wings dry. They normally rest with their wings up (unlike a moth, which rests with its wings open.)

Here is a close-up of one with its wings open.

Would you like to see us setting our butterflies free? Visit this page.

For teachers: If you want to take close-up pictures of butterflies that you've raised yourself, you will need a camera that will allow close-ups ('macro mode'), or one that will let you switch lenses or add a close-up ring. Also, you can't use a flash that close, so you'll need to be able to adjust the amount of light the lens lets in. We used a digital camera with 'macro mode', and put the box by the window. Then we lightened the pictures using a computer graphics program. If you want to try it using a simple, non-adjustable 35mm camera, make sure you're in bright sunlight, and get as close as the camera will allow you. If it has a separate viewfinder, remember that it's off-centre from the lens; adjust the picture accordingly.

Learn more about Painted Lady butterflies.


Elementary Science | Biology | Science Pages | Worsley School

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Content, Graphics, & Design by Bill Willis 2000 Classroom photographs by Angela Golinowski Wunderland Website Design