Greathouse Butterfly Farm

On Thursday we took a field trip to the Greathouse Butterfly Farm, in Melrose, FL. This is a small butterfly farm and all organic. They have grown immensely over the years. They did a nice little presentation and we learned a lot of stuff we didn't already know. Like, did you know that butterflies actually lick the nectar with their tongue like feature, by pulling the nectar towards their mouth. They then took us on a tour. The kids got to feed the butterflies, something we were not allowed to do at the other butterfly facility we visited. They had tons of host plants, and yes of course I bought one. I bought a Cassia tree, and I will post more about that later. Another thing I didn't know, is that the Luna Moth only lives three days and that when butterflies lay their eggs, they don't necessarily lay them on the host plant, but rather somewhere near the host plant. This is to confuse predators that will eat the eggs right off the plant, before they are able to hatch. Each child got to plant a Milkweed plant, a host plant for Monarch Butterflies, and bring it home with them. We will be planting all our new plants tomorrow. We got pictures of lots of chrysalis' and we even got to see several butterflies hatching from their chrysalis. An experience that is always fun to see. DJ took a lot of pictures of the beautiful flowers, while I took tons of the butterflies and other interesting things. The other images are stored on the other computer, so they are on my FB page. You can order dormant butterflies, that when defrosted you can release into the wild. I think this is so beautiful for a wedding or graduation, or just as a learning experience for kids. If you would like to visit the Greathouse Butterfly Farm, just click the link to visit their website. They do not yet have an online store, but you can call and order from them, and what awesome wedding pictures could you get there!

As DJ gets older, and school gets harder, field trips can no longer be squeezed into a school day.  That is why I am so glad I started the Earth Kids Group, we can do fun stuff outside of school hours with a group of friends.