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Oh so patient
As part of our centre planning around spring at BestStart Foxton Beach Kindy, we planted more swan plants to hopefully attract the butterflies into laying their eggs so we could observe and research the monarch butterfly life cycle.
We have been checking the plants every day for signs of eggs or baby caterpillars however have not been able to find any. On previous searches of the plants we have only found a small nibbled leaf and some ants eating the nectar on one of the flowers. Until today!
While playing outside some of the children noticed a monarch butterfly flying around the playground, we waited to see if it would go near out swan plants and it did. We watched carefully and quietly as it landed on the plants before flying away again.
Once we were sure it had finished we went to investigate what the butterfly had been doing and found a couple of small eggs on the underside of the leave. We also found an older egg that looked like it had already hatched. Hopefully we will soon have some very hungry caterpillars on our swan plants so we can learn about the butterfly life cycle.