Monarchs In Space

Monday, December 14

Houston, our butterflies have emerged! Five chrysalides, five butterflies. Space was a bit harsh on them. Or more clearly, lack of space. Two of our butterflies suffered complications due to crowded conditions. One has slightly bend wings and the other has a fold that should have unfolded. They are now in more comfortable quarters. We will continue to monitor their progress. They are currently feeding on Gatorade, a space age drink filled with electrolytes and sugar. More to come in the days ahead.
2B

Thursday, December 9

We have been concerned about our little chrysalids. It has been longer than the average time it takes a monarch to emerge. We think this may be due to the colder temperatures in our classrooms - each night the heat drops significantly, slowing the process a bit. Three butterflies have emerged. There are still six to go. Keep your fingers crossed!
2P

Wednesday, December 2

Little change:
2B

Tuesday, December 1

Happy December! Monarch Watch has reported that all three of the monarchs in space have pupated - what a coincidence, ours have pupated as well! Over the weekend, some of the larvae died, but between the two classrooms, we have nine butterflies left. Monarch Watch expects the monarchs in space to emerge on Thursday - we know that it takes between nine and fourteen days for a monarch to emerge, so it could be soon. Stay tuned!

The chrysallis' are a wonderful sight. As they continue through their life cycle, they will get darker. Check out the latest photos:
2B
2P

Monday, November 30

Ooh la la! Chrysalids!

Look at life in a green house:
2B

Tuesday, November 24

Happy Pajama Day! The students in the classroom were busy reading their books and getting cozy with their stuffed animals and blankets - that said, many of them couldn't keep their eyes off of the larvae. They're busy crawling back and forth across the top of the container (some students noticed that the larvae seem to be a bit crammed), laying down their silk, getting ready to pupate. Several of the larvae have stopped eating and their frass has begun to look "reddish" - both good signs that things are going to happen soon!

Here is a new batch of photos:
2P

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 23

The larvae are getting ready to pupate - both up in space and in our classrooms. They have been wandering around the tops of our containers looking for a place to "hang" for 9 - 14 days. MonarchWatch has reported that the "astropillars" are soaring at an altitude of approximately 1,100,000 feet and have traveled a bit more than 3,000,000 miles (in just under 1 week) at an average rate of over 17,000 mph. In contrast, the monarchs that made it to Mexico are at an altitude of about 10,000 feet and have traveled close to 2,500 miles (in up to 10 weeks) at a rate of approximately 12 mph.

Here are the latest photos:
From MonarchWatch
2B
2P

Friday, November 20

The monarchs in our classroom are molting and growing. Some of the monarchs don't seem to be growing as fast as others. In one of the classrooms, one child noticed that some larvae were oozing liquid. Our BK from this fall tells us that this isn't a good sign. We will see what happens over the weekend. We were told that the larvae should pupate by Thanksgiving. We are crossing our fingers. We also noticed that the artificial food was looking a little dry, so we added a fresh cup - the larvae, almost immediately, began crawling toward the food to eat. More questions have come up...

• How will they live?
• How will their chrysalis stay in place without gravity?
• Will they all turn into butterflies?
• Will their size change from their normal size?
• Will they pupate faster?
• Will they eat in space?
• Will the monarchs return alive?
• Will space affect their color?

Here are more photos. Enjoy:
2B
2P

Thursday, November 19

Space photos have arrived! We just received word that the monarchs in orbit are alive and doing well. Here are the first photos (and videos) courtesy of MonarchWatch. And here are some photos of the larvae in our classrooms to make comparisons:
2B
2P

Wednesday, November 18

Our scientific minds can't stop wondering what is happening to the larvae up in space! We checked the MonarchWatch website to see if there were new photos today, but there haven't been any larvae updates. (They said to expect photos 2-3 days after the launch of the space shuttle.) We will continue to ask questions and observe the larvae in our classroom. Here are some new questions that popped up today:

• How will they get into their pupa with no gravity?
• Will they be able to fly?
• Will they like their artificial food?
• How will the astronauts know if they get sick?
• How will the larva know which way is up and which way is down?
• Will they die faster, slower, or the same?
• Will their wings be able to control where they go?

As the students predicted, the larvae continue to grow - and so does the amount of frass. Check it out:
2B
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Tuesday, November 17

The students are curious. Questions that have come up include:

• Will the larvae survive the trip?
• Will they wear little spacesuits?
• Will they come back?
• Will they be happy in space?
• Will they molt faster, slower, or the same?
• Will they float?
• Are these the first larvae to EVER to go up in space?
  

Here are more photos of the rearing chambers. The monarchs are growing. (So is the amount of frass!).
2B
2P

Monday, November 16

The space shuttle Atlantis took off with three monarch larvae at 1:30p.m. The larvae, along with six astronauts, are heading to the International Space Station in a small rearing chamber where they will be placed in an incubator and observed. We have created a small rearing chamber of our own to simulate the larvae experience. The larvae will face many challenges in the days ahead. We are wondering if and how microgravity will affect the monarch life cycle. Click here to see photos of the rearing chambers in our classrooms:
2B
2P

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