Date: 02/02/1999

Number: 1

We do Monarch butterflies as part of our life cycles unit. I grow milkweed, so we usually start out the year watching a caterpillar turn into a chrysilis and then a butterfly.

I grow the milkweed in my backyard. We've never been able to grow it at school - no one waters during the summer (and we don't get rain). The district has also been known to spray it as a weed! About 10 years ago I was given some milkweed seeds. I started them indoors and then transplanted them outside at the back of my yard which was an unplanted area.Now it has wildflowers (butterfly preferred ones) and milkweed! The milkweed just keeps growing year after year and does some reseeding as well. My next door neighbor also has some, so between the two yards (and only a few plants) I can usually
get a caterpillar for the classroom.In the winter we visit Ardenwood Farm in town where Monarchs overwinter.

Last year we sent butterflies to Mexico and were thrilled to get some back. It was a great tie in not

Fremont, CA

Latitude: 37.6 Longitude: -122

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