Catching up on the Caterpillars

Three caterpillars all after the same remaining leaf on the swan plant. Can you see the rain drops on the closest caterpillar?

There are a lot of caterpillars and not a lot of swan plants left. They have eaten everything over the weekend. How many caterpillars can you count?

Caterpillar on the move.

Ever wondered what the undercarriage of a caterpillar looked like? Ever wondered how they got from one leaf to another  so quickly? Which end is the head and how can you tell?

One chrysalis, one on the way, and one caterpillar looking for somewhere to start its own chrysalis.

Can you work out which end is the head and which is the rear end? Clue: It only has 3 pairs of legs and the rest are 'prolegs' or claws help it hold onto the plant.

Caterpillar close up.

This caterpillar turned into a chrysalis since yesterday. Check back to see if you can find where it was hanging. Can you see that it has left is moulted skin outside the chysalis?

Can you see the three sets of legs and the prolegs?

Can you see how many swan plant stalks there are? Check back to previous blogs to see how much the caterpillars have eaten over the weekend.

This shows a successful hatching into a butterfly over the weekend.

A caterpillar in the process of changing into a chrysalis. We rescued this when it came off its leaf and we found it lying on the ground.

It was holding onto the leaf by a very fine thread. We got very excited watching the caterpillar change into its chrysalis during our lunchtime.

And..this is what happens when the chrysalis falls off the very fine thread, and lands on a computer charger. We learned that a chrysalis's body fluids are green and dark orange.

Our Garden Before and After the Weekend.

When we left school on Friday, there were lots of caterpillars in a forest of small swan plants. There seemed to be plenty of food for the caterpillars. Some were getting fat and we knew they were soon ready to turn into a chrysalises. We are already watching one chrysalis preparing itself to turn into a butterfly.

Look carefully. Can you find two caterpillars?

Holes in the wall can be quite useful.

Can you find the chrysalis, and at least one caterpillar?

A newly hatched butterfly.

Taking lots of photographs.

Monday morning. Look what's happened to all our swan plants. How many caterpillars can you see?

Can you find 3 caterpillars? What will happen next?

A caterpillar has found a sheltered spot to turn into a chrysalis.

Can you see the chrysalis?

Can you find a chrysalis, a caterpillar getting ready to turn into a chrysalis, and a caterpillar on the ground?

This caterpillar has found a sheltered place to turn into a chrysalis.

This caterpillar is on a poppy plant which had fallen over on the ground.

Can you find two caterpillars turning into chysalises?

This caterpillar may be looking for a sheltered spot to makes its chrysalis.

Do you know that caterpillars grow to 2,700 times the size of their hatching size, before they turn into a chysalis?

Monopoly Day 14th March

Here is a video of Monopoly Day 
by Karnjeet and Kyran 


Our school held a "Monopoly Day" on Wednesday to celebrate the anniversary of the board game Monopoly. Students and teachers dressed up as characters or features of the board game.

Life and Death in our Class Garden

A praying mantis is eating one of our caterpillars. I don't think this is a native New Zealand praying mantis  because they have a purple and yellow spot  on their legs.






 

 



A butterfly has just hatched from its chrysalis. We never saw this chrysalis because it was hidden under some leaves. 
 

 How many caterpillars can you find? Look carefully....

  
 
 Can you see the chrysalis? The caterpillar  turned into the chrysalis during lunchtime yesterday, 13th March.
 

A hungry caterpillar.

The beginning of swan plant flowers. All our swan plants this year have been grown from seeds we saved from our last year's swan plants.

Can you see the yellow aphids?

I wonder where this caterpillar is going? It is on a dying poppy plant stalk.

I wonder if caterpillars like eating geraniums?

 

Follow this link to an interactive life cycle of the monarch butterfly - and just about everything you wanted to know about monarch butterflies in New Zealand. 

And here's an interesting link about monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars) in outer space....  

Follow this link to see a video of a monarch butterfly laying its eggs.

Here's two videos to show you  parts of the caterpillar life cycle.

Today Huia1's second monarch butterfly hatched at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday 13 March. Here are  some photos that were taken.

¿Dónde está la mariposa?
Aquí está la mariposa.