Young Citizen scientists learn about butterflies in CFC class

Enjoying perfect weather for butterflies, children and caregivers recently flitted over to Citizens for Conservation-owned Flint Creek Savanna to learn about the importance and life cycle of butterflies with Citizens for Conservation volunteer Edith Auchter.

Becoming Citizen Scientists, participants of the class, “The Metamorphosis of a Butterfly,” learned that butterflies, along with bees, are an integral part of pollination and a good indicator of our environmental health.

Volunteers read stories about butterflies, completed a butterfly puzzle, and educated everyone on the short life-span of butterflies. They go through four life stages: egg, larvae (caterpillar), chrysalis and adult butterfly. Growing from an egg smaller than the head of a pin, a butterfly caterpillar sheds its skin three to five times as it grows during the larval stage with the last shedding taking place before the larva becomes a chrysalis. Everyone enjoyed a short video showing a butterfly completing metamorphosis.

Participants hiked into the 25-year-old restored prairie looking for butterfly eggs on milkweed along with butterflies collecting nectar from the many prairie plants in bloom. Children and adults alike were excited to use their magnifiers to see first hand tiny monarch eggs on the underside of the milkweed leaves.

Under the welcome shade of a large black walnut, the Citizen Scientists created a personal butterfly habitat. Each student received a painted lady caterpillar and/or chrysalis; they provided the habitat with food and a branch from which the chrysalis could hang. Everyone learned that the chrysalis stage would take about seven to 10 days, and they learned how to take care of and feed the newly hatched fully-grown butterfly and when to safely release it. Each child received two varieties of milkweed plant to grow and attract butterflies in their yards along with a Monarch Waystation kit that included educational information, milkweed and purple coneflower seeds, and information on how to make one’s backyard into a haven for monarch butterflies.

CFC’s Youth Ed Committee sends a special thank you to The Garden Club of Barrington for their generous grant, which funded purchase of the plants and butterfly caterpillars and covered the cost of educational handouts. CFC also send a special thank you to the North Barrington Children’s House Montessori School for their donation of the Monarch Waystation kits.

To learn more about CFC’s Youth Education’s programs call (847) 382-7283 or visit www.citizensforconservation.org.

A special owl class for Sunny Hill students takes place on Saturday, Oct. 26, and the final class for 2013, is Geocaching on Saturday, Nov. 9. Online registration is available at www.citizensforconservation.org/class-registration-form/.

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