Butterfly days
The end of July means two things in these parts. Firstly, the school holidays are a coming-in and secondly, it's time to count butterflies!
My eldest's time at nursery is coming to an end, which is a huge milestone. He's had the most wonderful time in butterflies class, and I was happy to join them to share some insect appreciation with a little talk. I decided to show off my colourful butterfly ID books and some choice facts for the four year old audience, mainly concerning the surprising things caterpillars and butterflies feed on. I wrapped up with a reading of Blaze the Butterfly by Catherine Veitch, because who doesn't want to hear about a proud purple emperor butterfly that licks the salt from animal poo?
Visual aids for a nursery talk, from ID guides to spider's leftovers in magnifying pots.
I've hopefully inspired them to take part in Butterfly Conservation's annual survey the Big Butterfly Count too. I'll certainly be taking both my boys out later in the week to see what we can spot.
They're raising some caterpillars of their own in my eldest's class, which have entered their chrysalises. I had a go at trying to identify them but it's a bit beyond my current skill level. After further research my best guess is painted lady. We're all excited for the big reveal when the butterflies (or possibly moths!) hatch out. I asked where the caterpillars came from and the teachers answered, rather sheepishly, "the internet".
Last year I heard Kate Bradbury at Cuckmere Wildlife Festival enthusiastically describing a butterfly rescue mission. Before the council strimmers destroyed their nettle habitat, she relocated several peacock caterpillars into a pop-up laundry hamper in her bathroom, fed them on fresh leaves and eventually released the butterflies back into the wild. Wouldn't a similar approach add an essential dimension to the childrens' learning journey? If they rescued caterpillars, nurtured them and released them amongst wildflowers they'd have a far more connected understanding. I think I'm going to have to volunteer some more time.
Since every day's a school day here's a bit of bonus learning. If you're not familiar with the medieval English folksong "summer is icumin in" that I referenced at the top of this post, get it on the playlist! I discovered this amazing video that takes you through everything you need to know from singing cuckoos to farting stags:
