Soon to be butterflies

On one of the first days out of school, I sat down with the kids and we made a list of things we wanted to do this summer.  Finding caterpillars and watching them turn into butterflies was at the top of the list for Allie.  We've been out searching almost every day and the other day, Allie and I hit the mother lode of caterpillars.  We have five!  The big one in this picture is already in its chrysalis and the others range from this tiny guy (who is now at least 3 times that size) on  up.

Since we have five, they are going through the milkweed like crazy.  We have to get a few fresh leaves a day.  As Allie and I were riding up the canyon the other day on the 4 wheeler, we both agreed that it was one of our favorite activities to do together.
Nate is good at spotting milkweed too and shouts "days one!" (there's one!) every time he spots a plant.
I find myself staring at the caterpillars every day and am amazed at how much they eat.  The book The Very Hungry Caterpillar wasn't exaggerating on how much they eat, and how fast they grow.  We'll have to keep you posted on the butterflies later...