For the last few years, we have been raising butterflies. We started out with some Painted Ladies that we had ordered. They were fun, but the caterpillar’s food was premade and they were supposed to stay in the little container they came in until they formed chrysalises.
We learned how to raise monarchs and have raised them from eggs for years. Some years we have raised over a hundred while last year we only raised a few because we could not find eggs or caterpillars.
Audrey decided it was time to do more. Last year she collected any caterpillar she could find and learned what she could about it. She discovered the Eastern Black Swallowtail.
We learned more than expected. Ichneumon Wasps will lay their eggs in the caterpillar. They are parasites and will feed on the caterpillar. You will not discover the problem until you have a wasp emerge instead of a butterfly from the chrysalis.
A much more fun lesson is that these butterflies overwinter. If put in a safe place during the winter, they will emerge in early spring. Audrey put some in the garage this winter. After bringing them inside in April, they are starting to emerge!
Between Thursday and Tuesday, Andrea played in four games, half of the regular season games! During Thursday’s game, she twisted her ankle, but got up and continued to play. She returned home with a swollen and bruised ankle. On Friday, she refused to walk on it but we iced it and wrapped it everyday, and she was able to play in all her weekend games.
Audrey only had three games over the weekend. She has a lot to learn, but her coach is willing to push her, and Audrey loves the challenge. She struggles with sprinting, but she is trying and we are seeing improvement.
On Saturday, Adrian had his first game. He surprised us all, including himself, by making the very first goal within minutes of the game starting! He is hoping to make more goals, and he has improved a lot since last year. It will be a great season for him.
