{"id":8341,"date":"2015-04-25T01:56:14","date_gmt":"2015-04-25T08:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/?p=8341"},"modified":"2025-12-16T19:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T02:44:18","slug":"the-birds-and-the-bees-of-butterflies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2015\/04\/25\/the-birds-and-the-bees-of-butterflies\/","title":{"rendered":"The birds and the bees of butterflies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We got our six-year-old a butterfly habitat for her birthday. Essentially, it’s a mesh enclosure that comes with a gift certificate for caterpillars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caterpillars were quiet at first, but after a few days, they got active and started spinning themselves into their cocoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"caterpillars\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ten days later, butterflies emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we took them to the park to give them their freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-in-tent\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We unzipped the lid to free them, and waited for them to fly away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterfly-in-net\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-drinking-juice\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But they seemed quite content to hang out in their little habitat sipping orange juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, one flew away, and then another. But the remaining two were just hanging out on an apple core, giving no indication that they were thinking of going anywhere anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a while, I reached in and nudged the apple core a bit to see if the would move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I picked it up, and they both just continued sitting there. Since it was already in my hand, I lifted the applecore that held the two butterflies out of the enclosure and gently placed it on the grass.  They just sat there. So my daughter decided to share a flower with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-on-applecore\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These butterflies showed no indication that they even noticed our existence. They only had eyes for each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-dancing\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They were really into each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-in-love\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Could this be a mating thing? The directions that came with the caterpillars did warn us not to wait more than a couple days before releasing the butterflies, or we would end up with a bunch of very hungry caterpillars that we would need to figure out how to feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These poor butterflies get no dignity, with all the detail of their first date broadcast across the internets. Also, they should get a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it did give us a good opportunity to discuss the birds and bees a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies-mating\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After a while one of them takes an interest in the flower Gem was holding out for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterfly-flower\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Oh, but then they discover each other again. This time a hookup in the grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterfly-hookup\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And, done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She (or he) heads out on a stroll through the grass, while the other one watched her walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterfly-grass\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bye bye, beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butterflies\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Then they both flew away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

growing butterflies from caterpillars, and releasing them to the wild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[762,761],"tags":[629,18,185],"class_list":["post-8341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-living-well","category-family-living-well","tag-butterfly","tag-critters","tag-mother-nature","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1600%2C900","blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=150%2C150",150,150,true],"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1600%2C900",1600,900,false]},"categories_names":{"762":{"name":"Daily Life","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/living-well\/daily-life-living-well\/"},"761":{"name":"Family","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/living-well\/family-living-well\/"}},"tags_names":{"629":{"name":"butterfly","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/tag\/butterfly\/"},"18":{"name":"critters","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/tag\/critters\/"},"185":{"name":"Mother Nature","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/tag\/mother-nature\/"}},"comments_number":0,"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=150%2C150",150,150,true],"cvmm-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=300%2C300",300,300,true],"cvmm-medium-plus":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=305%2C207",305,207,true],"cvmm-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=400%2C600",400,600,true],"cvmm-medium-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=600%2C600",600,600,true],"cvmm-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=1024%2C900",1024,900,true],"cvmm-small":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?resize=130%2C95",130,95,true],"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1600%2C900",1600,900,false]},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1fDeG-2ax","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7982,"url":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2014\/12\/31\/gems-gems-2014-wrapup\/","url_meta":{"origin":8341,"position":0},"title":"Gem’s Gems 2014 Wrapup","author":"Judy Schwartz Haley","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"My kid says some funny stuff, and every year I post a round-up of some of her best lines. enjoy. \u00a0Ambition G: I can be anything I want when I grow up? 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