"Mom, can I bring it home?"

Children are notorious for wanting things, candy, toys, and in my son's case....bugs. He is always bring new "friends" home an asking if they can stay. I usually don't mind as long as their stay is only overnight.

On a day out a few weeks ago he found a catapillar he wanted to bring home. We placed it in a fast food cup for the hour drive home. Upon arrive we set the catapiller up in a "home" with leaves and such. The container was placed on a shelf and he forgot about it. I admit, I too had forgotten about it till one day our cat took great interest in the container. Our catpiller had turned into a butterfly!

 

I quickly placed a Q-tip soaked in sugar water in the container so our little friend could get something to eat. That afternoon when my son came home from school he was thrilled! We poured through our bug books trying to identify the little guy (or girl) and we learned it was a Buckeye butterfly. Again, as with most bugs, my son asked if it could stay. The weather was in his favor as it had turned very cold and the rain was intense for a few days.

 

When the rain finally broke and the sun peeked out, we decided it was a good time for the butterfly to go back to nature. We had an amazing time watching him before he left. We even got to see his tounge a few times! The joy and amazement my son showed for this winged friend reminded my why it is so very important to let children "bring it home" every once in a while!