A Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis!

I was out in our school garden this afternoon and what should I find? A monarch butterfly chrysalis! For the past three years I have been trying to get our milkweed to grow strong and for monarch butterflies to find it.  This year they finally did!

I can't wait to see if it hatches in 10 - 14 days. I have been reading online how only about 10% of the caterpillars go on to become butterflies...there are a host of predators out there!  On Monday, if the chrysalis is still there, I will bring it inside to hatch and then release it back into our garden.

Monarchs in our Garden!

I went outside to water the school garden today and what should I see? Almost a dozen monarch caterpillars eating milkweed leaves!  They are big and look awesome!  I also saw a Monarch butterfly flitting about the plants.  Maybe she was looking for a place to lay some eggs!

Summer Vacation, Part 2: Madagascar!

Next stop, the beautiful island of Madagascar where many of the plants and animals are found nowhere else in the world. The people are friendly and very proud of their diverse culture and country, however, it is also an exceptionally poor country.

Madagascar's landscape is stunning and varied throughout the country although there is evidence of deforestation everywhere, as a nation, they are working on conservation of flora and fauna.

Terraced farming throughout the year in villages that dot
the countryside.

Each flooded plot belongs to one family.  There are three
growing cycles per year with different plants grown in each.
Rice is the main plant grown and is eaten with every meal.

This sandstone formation in Isalo National Park
is called the turtle!

The rainforest is along the east coast of the
island and is home to most of Madagascars
 lemur population.

Although the landscapes we saw were breathtaking, the animals...wow! We saw so many different types of lemur, chameleons, geckos, birds and even insects!

Indri Lemur.

Mossy leaf tail gecko....can you find it?

An ants nest hanging from a branch.

Brown tail lemur.

The nocturnal mouse lemur.

A tree frog spotted at night.

Diademed sifaka lemur.

Can you spot the two collared nightjar? There are two of them.

The smallest frog ever!  It can fit comfortably on a dime!

Parson's chameleon is the largest chameleon species found on
Madagascar.

A very small chameleon.

This chameleon started out all blue and then slowly
changed to yellow then brown the more we took it's picture!

Two damsel flies with iridescent wings.

A satin leaf gecko that looks like a leaf!  Can you spot it?

These little guys are the nymph stage of the flatid leaf bug!

The ring tailed lemur was one of the few lemurs we saw on the
ground.  Most of the lemurs were in the trees.

A gorgeous yellow chameleon.

Look at this cute little bug!

And of course, the infamous
Madagascar hissing cockroach!

Our trip wasn't wasn't just all about nature, we also met and saw amazing people!

An aluminum workshop that uses all recycled materials to
make pots and pans.

The way some people travelled around the towns.

A local catholic school with about 50 students
in one class!

Making bricks from clay.

The ease of carrying anything on ones head!

These children are playing with a handmade toy cart.

Zebu carts are the way to travel!

Handmade paper with decorative flowers
made out of individual petals.

The locals weave silk from the cocoon of their silkworms to
make shawls, scarves and blankets.

Ms. Lazar and I had an incredible three weeks in South Africa and Madagascar. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for me! I can't wait to share my experience with my classes!

Two very happy teachers!

What did you discover this summer?