raising butterflies | Reflections on the Teche

Posts Tagged ‘raising butterflies’

Slice of Life: Trying to See the Positive

Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged raising butterflies, summer blossoms, summer caterpillars on June 30, 2026| 13 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

The heat is rising daily here in the Deep South. And along with it…humidity…that makes for a high heat index.

Today I want to forget about the heat that keeps me indoors and share some of the positive things about summer.

Butterflies!

I currently have 6 Gulf Fritillary chrysalises and at least 3 more caterpillars in enclosures, but the other day when I headed out for my walk, I saw a butterfly hanging on its chrysalis in the wild, on my potting table. I felt such joy to know that one had survived the birds and lizards and made it to adulthood (without my help).

Speaking of caterpillars, I found some beautiful black swallowtail cats. I’ve brought them into a porch and hope they will hang out there, literally.

My friend from Iowa brought back some flower seeds and gifted me a small pot with these sweet flowers that are new to me, lizzianthus.

And I was surprised by a second poetry exchange postcard from Colette. She remembers Sol Duc which is a place we visited while in Washington.

All these things help me escape the oppression of the heat (and the world).

What is helping you through?

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Slice of Life: Student Inquiry

Posted in Gifted Education, Slice of Life, Teaching, tagged fibonacci poem, Gulf Fritillary, raising butterflies, student inquiry on September 10, 2024| 4 Comments »

I teach gifted elementary students. I think of my classroom door as a revolving one because students from grades 2-6 come in and go out all day long. Two weeks ago I brought in some Gulf fritillary caterpillars in a butterfly net. I placed them on the table and invited my students to ask questions.

This is Marifaye’s sketchbook neatly written with her 5 questions and the answers. (Not all notebooks looked this neat.)

Students gathered around the table and drew what they saw, asking question after question. They became enthusiastic yet frustrated that I would not give them a straight answer. They practiced using Google to research and answer their questions.

This week the caterpillars eclosed (hatched) and once again we observed and drew pictures then released the butterfly.

Danielle, 2nd grade, wrote a sentence. “This is my drawing of a Gulf fritillary. I drew a vine with a flower.”

James wrote a fib poem about the butterfly. (We talked about using more specific vocabulary than words like nice and cool.)
Gulf
vine
flowers
butterfly
a fritillary
flying through the beautiful sky

I don’t always have nature at my fingertips to lead inquiry with my classes. This was a wonderful way to introduce the idea that asking questions and wondering are all part of the process of learning. And releasing was just pure Joy!

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Spiritual Thursday: Growth

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Ellen Bass, growth, raising butterflies on May 2, 2024| 8 Comments »

Spiritual Journey gathering is with Jone today. She offered us the topic of growth.

A friend of mine who knows I love butterflies called to say she had black swallowtail caterpillars all over her dill plant. I said, “I’m coming.” She gave me the whole pot. We have 5 caterpillars on the plant in a butterfly net in my classroom. I pulled out magnifying sheets and invited my students into an inquiry about the caterpillars. We started with what do you already know and then wrote 3-5 questions.

I think the whole process is nature’s magic, but when one student wanted to know what actually happens in the cocoon/chrysalis, we learned that the caterpillar ingests itself. Ew!

Grief can be like this really messy process. Growth only comes from going through the messy muck of grief. I often feel like I’m not doing it right or well. What is really meant when someone says, “She’s handling it well.” I tell you no one handles it well. No one! We handle it how we handle it. Sometimes that means gripping hard to the steering wheel and other times, it’s walking among the wildflowers weeping.

And just when you think you’ve gone the distance, you’ve gotten through, something else comes along to topple you over.

If we stop growing, grieving, changing, we stop living. Growth is happening every day. Spring reveals to us that even the plants that look bare and dormant will leaf out, will bloom, will grow. Don’t ignore the process. Tend it as you would a tiny, fragile caterpillar.

Life
after Ellen Bass, Relax

Bad things are going to happen.
You will leave the milk out;
It will sour.

Bad things that leave you helpless.
A newborn cannot breathe on his own.
You will pray.

Bad things are inevitable.
Some doctor will miss something important.
You will suffer.

Bad things stop us in our tracks.
A squirrel will eat the coolant hose again.
You will be stuck.

But one evening when you’re bone tired,
you will watch a video of your granddaughter.
You will laugh until you cry.

Let it all come. You are living a life.
Margaret Simon