Celebrate spring with a science project that your little citizen scientist and the entire family will enjoy.
Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena is opening its 25th Annual Butterfly Season on Saturday, March 27. As long as you call in advance, you and your kids can adopt Painted Lady caterpillars, pick them up at the appointed time, bring them home, and witness the dramatic metamorphosis from hungry caterpillar to migratory butterfly.
In just weeks, you’ll be ready to release your Painted Lady butterfly into your garden or neighborhood park.
Painted Ladies pass through Southern California on a migratory journey that can cover hundreds of miles. Kidspace Museum’s butterfly season reminds us that by protecting and releasing these beautiful butterflies, you support pollinators that are critical to a balanced ecosystem.
For best results, Kidspace recommends you choose a container of three to five caterpillars, or start with just one.
Every caterpillar you raise is a contribution to nature. All season long, you’ll find resources to support your caterpillar’s journey on www.kidspacemuseum.org/
Due to the delicate nature of live caterpillars, they cannot be shipped to you, so you’ll have to order your caterpillars, and Kidspace will notify you when they’re ready for safe, no-contact pick-up at the museum. All orders must be picked up the week of purchase.
Caterpillar pickup times are 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Apart from the Painted Lady caterpillars, the Kidspace Museum’s online shop allows you to purchase kid-size butterfly nets from Insect Lore, perfect for your little bug collector, ages 3 and up; the “Seedlings: Butterfly” paperback, a kindergarten-level introduction to butterflies; and the “Ten Little Caterpillars” hardcover, a dynamic and visually stunning counting-and-natural history picture book which includes a glossary and guide with intriguing information about all of the caterpillar stars.
Visit the shop at https://store.kidspacemuseum.
For more information, call (626) 449-9144 or visit www.kidspacemuseum.org/