Butterfly or Moth?

It is that time of year here in Florida where caterpillars are EVERYWHERE!  My mailbox is covered in them!  No matter how many we remove, within an hour, more appear.

Once I gave the ok, my children excitedly ran out to the barn to gather their butterfly habitat, gathered all of the caterpillars they could find, tore off the nearby tree limb, and set it up in the new play/school room.

Afterwards, I remembered the caterpillar I watched change when I was a child. I then remembered the disappointment I felt when it emerged as a moth…I had to prepare them.

I said: “I want to warn you, this may turn into a moth.  Are you alright with that?”

They said, with a slightly disappointing look on their face: “It’s ok, it’s still fun.”

So here we are on day two of our caterpillar experiment, and we have gone from four, to nine of them!  (I think our habitat can handle it…)

Determined to know what they were in for, I assigned them to the internet to classify their caterpillar. After some frustrating searching online, my husband joined in and discovered that they have forest tent caterpillars … moths. (joy)

Although they are having a great time taking care of them, I want to be sure we are making the most of it. My mission for printables quickly guided me to the following from Enchanted Learning (they have so much to offer that I am amazed I even looked any further!):

All About Butterflies from Enchanted Learning

Butterfly or Moth

Butterfly and Moth Venn Diagram

Caterpillar Anatomy

Luna Moth

Moth Life Cycle

Additional printables:

Butterfly vs. Moth

 Kids Discover (great resource and fantastic printables, but you must create a free account)

Resources:

The Children’s Butterfly Site

Butterflies and Moths at A Kids Photo

Moth Activities on TLC Family

Interesting Facts about Butterflies and Moths

Butterflies and Moths of North America

For Purchase:

Live Butterfly Kits and More  (in case you want to guarantee a butterfly experience)

Butterflies at The Nature Store

Barrons Educational Books