We released 4 of our butterflies yesterday. The boys loved watching the caterpillars and then the butterflies. The 5th butterfly was still in its chrysalis, but it came out overnight (I wasn't sure it would come out at all). I suggested releasing it today, but Bee thought we should keep it for a few days, like we had the others.
We kept the little guys on our kitchen table. Clearly, we are not a family who is squeamish about insects.
I have ordered Ladybug Land as well as larvae, also from Insect Lore, as well as one of their praying mantis egg sacs. I tried the egg sac once, and nothing happened, but that may have been because a certain toddler named Bug picked up the little jar with the egg sac and shook it like a maraca.
Also, on impulse today, I'm afraid I ordered a worm bin. I've kept composting worms before, but I had homemade bins, and didn't really like them. I'm hopeful that the Worm Factory will be easier to use. I know that both boys will enjoy feeding and observing the process of composting. We have a backyard composter as well.
For the winter, we plan to have an ant farm. I'm open to any kind of thing like that, as long as the animals can be released at some point (in the case of the ants, they will die). I don't want any additional permanent pets. Two cats, a dog, and a few fish are more than enough. Although I plan to keep our worms, it's nice to know that if I tire of them, I can dump them in the garden without killing them or disrupting the ecosystem.
I'll update on how all of our experiments with critters goes!
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