Butterfly Garden Kits and blood typing tests

[Rich with Kids]

I found a nice butterfly growing kit, but I wondered if there is a certain time of year that is best for starting this project? Also, has anyone here bought any blood typing kits? Can you tell we have a science bug going around here? :D TIA!

[Aurelia]

For a second, I thought you were going to try to get the blood types of butterflies! LOL

 

We had one of the butterfly kits and if you have Painted Lady butterflies you can release them any time of year except when the temp drops below a certain degree, otherwise they recommend you keep them in the butterfly habitat for their whole life cycle.

[Pamela H in Texas]

seeing as you live in Texas, I think you're fine to get butterflies right now. They are out in full swing naturally anyway. I do HIGHLY suggest not contracting swine flu and putting off releasing them unless you want a thousand (or so) baby caterpillars crawling out of the butterfly enclosure :D

[Rich with Kids]

For a second, I thought you were going to try to get the blood types of butterflies! LOL.

 

Now, there's an experiment! :D

 

seeing as you live in Texas, I think you're fine to get butterflies right now. They are out in full swing naturally anyway. I do HIGHLY suggest not contracting swine flu and putting off releasing them unless you want a thousand (or so) baby caterpillars crawling out of the butterfly enclosure :D

 

I figured we'd be OK. I just wasn't sure how hearty these babies get. We do get some cooler weather. It's just so unpredictable.

 

Thanks, ladies!

[elise1mds]

My DH bought some blood typing kits last year and we did the kids and ourselves. It was very, very interesting to see the results and compare it to our eating habits. DS and I are the same and will eat anything under the sun. DH and DD are both the same and are much more picky about what they will and won't eat. Not to say that there's technically a scientific correlation there, but I wasn't surprised at the results.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Part of the thing to remember with the butterflies is that they have VERY short life cycles. We had our butterflies for only a few days before they started to change and then the time they were in the chyrsalises was less than they said also. It was all very quick. Then a few days after coming out they mated and a few days later we had eggs then babies. And they only live 2 to 4 weeks anyway so they could have died by now (it's been another week and half, I think).

 

So if you do this pretty soon, you're probably fine for releasing them. If you wait and/or we get some good cold snaps, then you'll get to do the whole life cycle in the container. I had a real issue with that thought, but if you research online, you'll find all sorts of reasons not to release them (or even to have them in the first place). So it all ends up that there is some issue or another so you deal if you want to want to buy caterpillars to watch change into butterflies.

[Heather in OK]

You can get Eldon cards from In His Hands birth supplies website. :)

[Wyndie]

Our first year of homeschooling we lived in Wichita Falls, TX and we did our butterfly kit in October. They were fine to release at that time of year... of course that was 5 years ago so the weather may be different now. ;)