Butterfly House

Take a walk on the wild side…

The  Butterfly House in Chesterfield

has basically two kinds of butterflies:

Tropical

and

Wild.

At Green Spiral, we tend to be most interested in the wild kind.

The Sense of Wonder

The best time to visit the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

(at Faust Park in Chesterfield)

is in the winter, when it’s cold outside.

OR during the Morpho Madness Festival in March

or the Owls & Orchid Festival in October.

Wandering through the butterfly conservatory really does impart a sense of magic

that is difficult to duplicate in the virtual world.

I do.

However, for a summer tip, wander out the back doors,

where hardly anyone goes.

There’s a beautiful garden and a

wedding pavilion waiting for you there!

Off the beaten path…

And behind the wedding pavilion,

lies a secret nature path,

designed especially for children.

King Bee?

There are honey-comb climbers to conquer,

Touchy, smelly things to feel

And insect noises to hear and make.

Call of the Wild

In all honesty,

the Butterfly House invited Green Spiral

to partner for grant funding purposes,

which we are happy to do.

It’s nice to see institutions moving along with the research,

(and what mothers instinctively know),

that children really do learn through their senses.

However, it’s difficult for institutions to pull off really memorable experiences,

like catching frogs, swimming under the moonlight,

or mud pie fights with friends,

but the Butterfly House does a pretty good job.

Invite us to help design your next project;

 we’ll bring real families,

who will tell you what we really think.

Homework time!

And now it’s time for “Homework that Matters”:

• Test Yourself – Can you identify at least three native Missouri butterflies? Can the kids?
• Plant food – Are you planting food in your backyard not only for yourself, but for the birds and the bees and the butterflies as well? If not, do you know how to get started?
• Baby Monarchs – What do monarch caterpillars eat? Have you planted ten of those plants in your backyard yet? Are you aware that the monarch butterfly is teetering towards the brink of extinction faster than we can add it to the endangered species act?

 

Milkweed = Baby Food for Monarch Butterflies

RSVP – if you’ve done your homework, and have ideas for others, please post in the comment section below, to help encourage people along…

Compliments Artemis Beta

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Seed Bombs

Seed Bombs are clay balls embedded with seeds,

in this case, milkweed for monarchs!

Milkweed = Baby Food for Monarch Butterflies

Artists, Activists and Kids love seed bombs,

and here’s how to make your own:

Step One:

Step One

Step Two:

Naughty or Nice?

Step Three:

Harvest milkweed seeds from a real

milkweed plant, OR, buy locally,

from,  Seed Geeks, who you can find

at the Tower Grove Market.

Seed Geeks

Mix the clay with water, and a few seeds,

until you get the consistency of cookie dough.

Play with mud

Step Four:

Mix into mud, adding more clay, water or seeds

as needed.  You can also add some compost from your garden.

Mix Well

Step Five:

Roll into balls, allow to dry, and harden (which may take a few days).

Bombs Away!

Then go bomb a vacant lot.

Next spring,

Milkweed and Monarchs show up!

And that’s how to make a Seed Bomb.