Butterfly garden

 For Brock's birthday aunt Jen got him a butterfly garden. It came with a code to put in on the website when ready and they send caterpillars. So at the beginning of the month we requested them and they came a couple of days later. They came in a little plastic container full of their food. It just looked like a thick brown sugar mixture. They were really small at first and didn't really move (that we could see) for a few days. Then we noticed they were getting a lot bigger. About a week later we came in one morning and two were in chrysalises. By then next evening they all were. Seth and I then transferred them from the paper they had attached to that was on the roof of the plastic container and pinned it to the top of the butterfly garden holder.

 Sunday morning we came out and three of the butterflies had come out while we were sleeping. It was pretty cool. We started out giving them sugar water on flowers, which is what the instructions said to do. They also said we could put in fresh slices of oranges. So Monday we switched to that because it was way easier. Monday the fourth one came out as well.

 We waited and waited for the fifth one, but nothing happened. Finally last night I told them it must have died. The chrysalis had gone black and the other ones had turned yellow before the butterflies emerged. We decided to release the four today with some of their friends at the poop park. Then this morning at about 11 the fifth one came out. An hour later I could tell that it wasn't going to be able to fly. It's wings were short and one was curved. Atleast it came out though I suppose.

 Audrey came to see the butterflies she has been watching in the holder all week and so did Doran and Brock's buddy Braddock.

 When I unzipped it and lifted it a little the first one flew out! It didn't even hesitate! As the picture shows, all the kids loved it!

 The next one was sitting on an orange so I lifted that out and they got to pass it around for a moment before it took off. I didn't even notice that while I did that the other two flew out. You can see it by Doran's head in the picture.

 Last, but the most exciting for the kids, was number five. Since it couldn't fly all the kids got to hold it. It hung out on Braddock's shirt for a minute too.

 Once they were done we sat it on a flower so it could 'grow' and fly away. When none of the other kids were looking Audrey was playing with it and swatted it away. The kids came back to check on it and were happy that it had flown away. Everyone was happy!

Braddock's family have some new chickens. Brock loves them and was chasing them around trying to catch them. He actually did a couple of times. He is our little animal lover for sure.