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| From larva to chrysalis! |
Hello all Maury Monarch lovers! Now in our 3rd year, Maury Monarch Madness has taken over our wonderful school. So far, Ms. Vick and Ms. Duckett's classes have "caught" their larvae pupating, forming amazingly beautiful chrysalides! ( No, I didn't know the plural of chrysalis either but check this out on Merriam-Webster!)
We have even sent of our first Monarch, "Tango" from Mrs. Mitchell's class!
Would you believe that by instinct, "Tango" will fly thousands of miles to join MILLIONS of others to winter in Mexico?
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| Tango, an millions of others will make this trip in ONE generation! |
This year, however, we have had a few complications. For reasons we have yet to determine, many of our small friends never made it through all stages of metamorphosis. Many stopped growing prior to pupating. We have started to buddy up classes so that all students, regardless of the outcome of their classroom "pets", get to experience the Monarch walking on their hand, determine if it is a male or female ( by markings on the inside of it's wings) and test for a specific parasite that can infect adults before sending off.
In the meantime, if you want to be awed, here are two WONDERFUL videos. One is the entire life cycle of the Monarch from egg to adult that is truly inspiring. The others are clips from the mountains in Mexico where the Monarchs winter. It is truly amazing what these little creatures can do. When occurring in nature ( not reared in labs), the adult Monarch can migrate from Canada to Mexico in ONE generation! Once spring arrives, it takes multiple generations for them to return to Canada, instinct guiding them. AMAZING! ( Have I said AMAZING??)
Let's hope the rest of our little friends continue growing and changing!
-Mrs.Ford
PS: Vanessa is my first name and it means butterfly!
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