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ATTRACTING BUTTERFLIES
Here is a list of plants that attract adult butterflies.
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Aster
Blanket Flower
Daylily
Phlox
Sunflower
Verbena |
Black-eyed Susan
Butterfly Bush
Milkweed
Purple Coneflower
Sweet Alyssum
Yarrow |
**A contributor also reports that watermelon rinds left outside for a couple of days will also attract butterflies.
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Here are some ways to help children identify the differences between these two insects.
A BUTTERFLY |
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Spins a chrysalis. |
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Has straight antennae with knobby ends. |
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Is awake during the day and asleep at night. |
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Rests with its wings straight up. |
A MOTH |
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Spins a cocoon. |
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Has feathery antennae without knobs. |
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Is asleep during the day, and only comes out at night. |
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Rests with its wings flat. |
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| THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY |
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The Egg stage. An adult butterfly lays an egg on a leaf. |
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The Larva stage. The caterpillar hatches from the egg. It eats the shell it was born in plus some of the leaves around it. |
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The Pupa stage. The caterpillar hangs from a branch and weaves a chrysalis. The caterpillar begins to change again inside the chrysalis. |
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The Adult stage. Finally the chrysalis bursts open and out flies a butterfly.
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Make up some Sequence Cards for your child to use to put the stages in the proper order.
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CATERPILLARS
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Help your child find real caterpillars to observe. How do they
crawl? |
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Have your child practice crawling like a caterpillar. |
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Make up a song about the Eensy Weensy Caterpillar who climbed
up the garden wall. |
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Read the story "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to your child. |
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Glue short pieces of thick fuzzy yarn on green paper. |
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Make chain caterpillars from brown paper strips. |
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Cut bottoms of egg cartons in half to create two long caterpillars
when placed up-side-down. Add pipe cleaner antennas. |
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BUTTERFLIES
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Help your child find real butterflies to observe. How do they
fly? |
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Cut large butterfly shapes out of colorful wrapping paper. Hang
them on the wall. |
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Cut small butterfly shapes out of colored tissue paper. Have
your child brush water onto a piece of paper, then place the butterflies
all over the paper.
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Make butterfly cheese sandwiches. Cut a piece of cheese and
a piece of bread diagonally. Lay a pickle in the middle of a salad
plate and arrange the two bread pieces on the plate with their
90% corners each pointed towards the pickle. Lay the cheese piece
on top of the bread pieces. |
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CATERPILLARS AND BUTTERFLIES 
