Bumwing

A few weeks ago we ordered the kids a bunch of caterpillars for their butterfly net. They come in little jars with food to eat and they quickly get fat and lazy. Then they migrate to the top of the jar and form a chrysalis. At this point you take them out of the jar and attach them to the butterfly net, then wait for them to hatch into butterflies!

Elias really enjoyed this whole process and learning about the butterfly life cycle. We read books on butterflies, talked about butterflies, looked at butterflies outside. Then, after a few weeks they finally hatched and we had live butterflies! Unfortunately, one of the butterflies came out with a crumpled wing. He had some bum luck and it just didn't form correctly. When we went to release all the other butterflies into our yard on a warm sunny day, Bumwing couldn't fly away. He hung out on the grass and flowers for the first day and Elias was sad that his butterflies were gone.

Wasn't he excited to find Bumwing waiting for him on the flowers the next morning! For the next 3 days Elias spent virtually every waking moment with that butterfly. He danced with it, built it a house with flowers and fruit to keep it well fed and told it story after story. He carried it around with him everywhere. He also learned some lessons on things butterflies don't like to do, like be stuffed inside plastic bottles (eek!) I would go on runs with Eva or trips to the store and ask Elias if he wanted to come.

'No Thank You.' he would say without turning his attention away from Bumwing.

Sadly, Bumwing passed away last night. Elias brought him inside because 'The wind is too rough for him', but I think it was too late. Elias will miss him.