Review: A TRUTHFUL AND ENTERTAINING BOOK
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2013
Gru felt sad because he couldn't do the things his other friends could do, after all, he was just a caterpillar.Of course, if you remember your science, you knew what was going to happen to Gru long before he spun that cocoon.If you're lucky enough to have the room to plant a few things, you can help caterpillars like Gru live and grow. Butterflies need both nectar to eat and special plants for nesting. They won't lay their eggs just anywhere!I discovered a nesting plant by accident when I first planted carrots. Soon I had a colony of white caterpillars with yellow and black stripes chewing on the carrot tops and I didn't care if the carrots survived or not. My daughters were almost four and barely two. They had been encouraged to hold frogs, so they loved the 'callapitters'. We had to leave 15 minutes earlier for day care because they both wanted to wear 'callapitters' on their shirts-every day.Some of the other nesting plants are willow trees, dill weed, butterfly weed, milkweed, Dutchman's pipe vine, parsley and snapdragons.It may take several years for butterflies to notice that you've gone out of your way to help them.Don't forget to feed the butterflies that come to visit, give them a rock so they can Sun themselves and, you'll think I'm crazy, make mud puddles for them. Honest!!If you're blessed to be there when a butterfly breaks free from it's cocoon, don't help it. This is one struggle it must make on its own. I've been told if you help it, the little thing will die instead of fly.  I've never taken any chances to disprove that theory. I should ask that question next time I'm at Jeffers' Bend!This book can be the start of a beautiful friendship between your child and the natural world.If you don't have a place to plant things, even my small town has a nature trail. A section of it has been devoted to, you guessed it, butterflies. My local mayor's office gave me the name and number of the person to contact for upcoming events.I'm blessed to have a big yard. If all you have is one hook for a hanging basket you can check the internet for a list of nectar rich flowers to help those winged wonders survive. Some flowers are better for the butterflies than others.Sounds like I'm talking about people, doesn't it?