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Setting our butterflies free

Setting butterflies free

Setting butterflies free

If you’ve been following our butterfly journey you’ll know it was time to set our tiny pets free this week. Out of the six little caterpillars we started off with, four made it to the final stage and we had become quite attached to them. The Insect Lore kit was a birthday present for Sam, but Florence loved them just as much, making sure she fed the “futter-fies” every morning with pieces of fruit and sugared water.

The project took about a month all in all – a couple of weeks for the caterpillars to grow and turn into chrysalids, a week before the first butterflies emerged and another week watching them all come out and live in their net home in our kitchen. It’s such a lovely thing to do and I would really recommend it for kids of any age.

When it was time to set them free it was a weekend but unfortunately my husband Roger was at the hospice rather than at home. So he could be a part of it, we decided to take our butterflies to him and let them out in the garden outside his room. The hospice grounds are beautifully kept with plenty of greenery and butterfly-friendly flowers, so I knew it would work. Many thanks should go here to my mum and dad, who lovingly transported the net in their car.

You would think that once the net was opened, they would flutter out romantically into the air, wouldn’t you? Well that isn’t really how it happened, as it turns out baby butterflies are actually quite shy things which need a bit of persuading to come out. Sam had to lift them out gently by holding the flowers they were sitting on, then watched them for a few minutes before they gingerly flew off. One even rested on his trouser leg for a while before it made its getaway.

A really special memory for all of us.

x Julia

With our butterflies

Butterfly on grass

Sam butterfly

Flo butterfly

Butterfly on leg

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8 Comments

  • Reply
    Beth Twinderelmo
    May 29, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    Ah how lovely to see the end of the journey!
    We let Charlie’s butterflies go up by my Mom as it’s such a beautiful setting and ours too needing some encouragement but one flew straight onto her flowers and stayed there until after we left. It was just lovely and loved she was part of it too xxx
    Beth Twinderelmo recently posted…Soft Play Survival GuideMy Profile

  • Reply
    Karen
    May 29, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Your butterfly journey has been fascinating. I would love to do this with the girls but have put it off as I thought Em might be a bit young, but seeing how much Flo got into it I think I might give it a go.
    I have shed a tear reading this, thinking about the kids letting the butterflies go and relating this to your awful, awful situation.
    Karen recently posted…Summer Days Linky 29th MayMy Profile

  • Reply
    Hayley Smith @hayleyfromhome
    May 30, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    I’ve loved reading about your butterfly journey Julia, such lovely photos and an extra sweet memory. I love that you were able to release them in the hospice grounds. What a lovely thing to do even at such a truly awful time xxx
    Hayley Smith @hayleyfromhome recently posted…Rufford Old Hall – Woollen WoodsMy Profile

  • Reply
    Mini Travellers
    May 31, 2015 at 9:21 pm

    I have loved reading about the butterflies and really glad you took them to the hospice to do this with Rog. He has been part of the journey so right he was there. Flo looks so proud of her big brother holding them and you look fab!
    Mini Travellers recently posted…Swimwear and Beachwear for KidsMy Profile

  • Reply
    Lisa@intotheglade
    May 31, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    Ah it’s lovely to see the ending. What a fabulous thing to do, I am definitely going to copy this for a present idea. All these pictures are gorgeous x
    Lisa@intotheglade recently posted…My Sunday Photo!My Profile

  • Reply
    Everything Mummy
    June 1, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    This is amazing Julia a friend of mine did it last year I definetly want to give it a try with the girls at some point thanks for linking up to #sundaystars x
    Everything Mummy recently posted…Father’s Day BBQ CompetitionMy Profile

  • Reply
    Mackenzie Glanville
    June 2, 2015 at 6:00 am

    I have loved this mini series, just gorgeous
    Mackenzie Glanville recently posted…Making myself vulnerableMy Profile

  • Reply
    Butterflies and Those Tiny Reminders - Rainbeaubelle
    May 11, 2017 at 1:29 pm

    […] before his death we had our own caterpillars at home which we watched transform into butterflies, setting them free at the end of May outside Roger’s room at Wirral St John’s Hospice, where he was being […]

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