An ES Butterfly Garden

At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Hollenbeck brought caterpillars to the ES. Ms. Dominique thought her Alpha students were not especially fond of bugs, and hoped that watching over a caterpillar might help them grow to appreciate local critters. The other caterpillar went to Blair McCausland’s JK class.

The skinny, tiny caterpillar in Ms. Dominique’s room was named Guapo, and quickly metamorphosized into a chrysalis and then a butterfly. The plump, slow caterpillar in Mrs. McCausland’s room, Goldie, rested in its cocoon from August until March. 

“I had lost all hope, but the kids were convinced it would pop out of that chrysalis one day - and so it did,” Mrs. Hollenbeck shared. A beautiful swallowtail butterfly finally emerged!

Goldie was set free but the students continue to talk about her and watch for her to visit. They have created a garden bed and the children have been designing structures for her from both clay and the 3D printer.