Learning Garden caterpillar update

 I noticed today that the monarch caterpillars today were gone, and I assumed they had been eaten.  I discovered talking with the students out by the garden today, however, that some students were so excited about them last Friday that they took them off the milkweed, and then put them elsewhere in the garden.  Since there is no trace of them, I am sure they didn't make it back to the plant and died.  I am discovering that a learning garden is about learning all kinds of lessons, like how to be carefully observe creatures, and how to teach students to be enthusiastic and involved and responsible.   Anyone who has any thoughts/ideas about how to reinforce this, please let me (Nikki) know.   I am thinking signs, and maybe student "docents".

There still are caterpillars in the garden, though, on a different plant.  Today we got our first glimpse of some of the caterpillars on the pussytoes.  I think they are painted ladies although I am not 100% sure.

Classroom learning garden monarch caterpillar update - Jack and Jack in grade 1 are enormous (they have grown 4 cm since we took them into the classroom), and Matthew in grade 4 made its chrysalis today.  The 3 other caterpillars that are in grade 2/K are also in chrysalis stage, so my morning routine (running from classroom to classroom with milkweed) has gotten a lot easier.  Hopefully next week we will have some beautiful end-of-year butterlies!