We have a fairy tree in our yard. Actually we have 2 fairy trees, but one is the main tree and the other is like the fairies extra apartments.
The fairies were actually in our backyard. For a long time. We had a pretty flowering tree in the back corner of your yard. The kids were so little at the time, but they arranged a little fairy garden under the same tree where we had a swing set up. It was a nice little shady area. Then a few years ago, microbursts and tornadoes came through our neighborhood and the fairy tree was struck by lightening. The kids were so worried, but luckily the fairies just moved to the front yard.
Every so often the fairies leave trinkets for the kid. Usually it’s some outdoor play things, like chalk or a kite. Sometimes it’s candy or a book. But even when the tree fairies were in the back yard, every year without fail the fairies left caterpillars to raise. Last year, the fairies also brought some ladybug larva. On release day, the girls pulled out their lady bug and butterfly Halloween costumes.
They came back again this year, 3 sets of caterpillars instead of just 1 or 2. The kids know the stages so well and are so familiar with it. They start as teeny tiny caterpillars, grow to 4 or 5 times their size, turn themselves into an upside down J, become a chrysalis, and then finally emerge as butterflies.
We give the butterflies orange slices for a few days to make sure they are all hatched and ready for release, and then they flutter away when we release them at the fairy tree.
Today was release day again. They tried to name all the butterflies and asked them to come back to visit soon. Every time the kids see an orange butterfly, they will be so sure it was one of theirs. They’ll smile and assume the butterfly remembers them and has come back for a visit.
Caterpillars has been one of our favorite family traditions. It has made them love the butterflies and also care about nature, the environment, and providing homes and food for their special pollinators. Without beating them over the head with it, I’ve slowly made them care about the outside world. The tree, the grass, flowers. I hope maybe when the kids get older, they’ll continue to think of protecting our environment as an act of love.
