School pets...

I’ve never had the honour of bringing home a school pet for the holidays, until last week, when a pot of 5 caterpillars was handed over, along with a butterfly tent and a set of instructions. So far there has been one casualty. I’m not sure which one – I did name them, but they do look identical. Anyway, hopefully it’s not Eddie whose life has come to a premature end. Yesterday they started the 'changing' process and this involves attaching themselves to the ‘roof’ of the pot and then hanging there, squirming. One has successfully changed into a chrysalis. One is partially changed, the other 2 are still squirming about – and it is this stage that I find absolutely revolting. I don’t mind the ones that are now still, it’s the movement that I don’t like. Yesterday, when I came back from a trip to a cold and blustery Ironbridge, I discovered there were only 4 ‘hangers’ and one small (possible) corpse at the bottom of the pot. Clearly he/she wasn’t able to secure himself correctly and was presumably no longer able to crawl back up for another go. It’s not moving, so I assume dead. Although when I transfer the chrysalises to the butterfly tent, I will inspect it a bit more closely.

 

I am hoping that they don’t change into butterflies before Tuesday, because the feeding sounds a bit complicated – and I haven’t worked out how you feed them without them escaping. Another thing that is worrying me is getting the ‘tent’ back to school on Tuesday morning. Hopefully it won’t be windy. And hopefully I won’t cock it up by dropping it. Whatever, I am going to look a bit of a twat, and rather wish they had been entrusted to someone else’s care, someone with a car, perhaps, who doesn’t get crossed over by the lollipop lady!

   

I still have two ‘squirmers’ and I wonder if they are writhing about because the process is painful. I hope not. I hope there are no more casualties, because if I lose any more I might have to go to the butterfly farm in Stratford and find some caterpillar replacements – although it would be fun to have some of those big blue buggers emerge!