Butterfly Garden

Jeter and Jerzi got one of the coolest gifts ever for Easter from their Grandma McArthur. 

 ( I know, Easter was awhile ago, but I'm slow.) 

They got a butterfly garden! 

They got a little jar thing of larvae in the mail (which are totally gross and I hated the thought of them being in my house).  They stayed in the jars though, and I didn't have to touch them.  Then we got to watch them shake themselves up into a little cocoon or chrysalis or whatever ya call it.  I thought they spun a little cocoon, turns out they shake and wiggle to form it.  It's crazy, and disgusting, and cool to watch.  We watched them every day, and then about 7 days later, they started breaking free of the little shell they created.  We got to watch as a new butterfly emerged!  We all loved to watch them.  It was pretty cool, even for me, who hates any kind of bug/insect/flying thing, etc.  It's pretty amazing how a disgusting little worm-like thing can change into something completely different, and a little more pleasing on the eye. And even cooler that we got to watch it all happen. 

After a couple days of watching them fly in their "garden"  and feeding them sugar water and orange slices, we let them go. 

Our butterflies
(There were 10 of them.)

The instructions said that once you let them go, they will stay pretty close to where they were released for a few days.  I told Jeter and Jerzi that, and ever since we let them go, whenever they see a butterfly in our yard, they say that its one of "our" butterflies.