This week we will be reading

Me on the Map 

by Joan Sweeney 

We will also attempt to create a video slide show, similar to the example below, 

to show our understanding of where we live.

Earth Day

April 22, 2013

How do you help the planet?

PBS Kids Earth Day Games

Disney Oceans Video:



Journey in to the depths of a wonderland filled with mystery, beauty and power. Oceans is a spectacular story, narrated by Pierce Bronsnan, about remarkable creatures under the sea. It's an unprecedented look at the lives of these elusive deepwater creatures through their own eyes. Incredible state-of-the-art-underwater filmmaking will take your breath away as you migrate with whales, swim alongside a great white shark and race with dolphins at play.

Source: Disney nature - http://nature.disney.com/oceans/video

           

The Life Cycle(s) of a Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle, and through four generations in one year. It’s a little confusing but keep reading and you will understand. The four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one.

In February and March, the final generation of hibernating monarch butterflies comes out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one of the new year for the monarch butterfly.

In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using silk and transform into a chrysalis. Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. The monarch butterfly will emerge from the pupa and fly away, feeding on flowers and just enjoying the short life it has left, which is only about two to six weeks. This first generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.

The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly.

The fourth generation of monarch butterflies is a little bit different than the first three generations. The fourth generation is born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the first, second and third generations except for one part. The fourth generation of monarch butterflies does not die after two to six weeks. Instead, this generation of monarch butterflies migrates to warmer climates like Mexico and California and will live for six to eight months until it is time to start the whole process over again.

It is amazing how the four generations of monarch butterflies works out so that the monarch population can continue to live on throughout the years, but not become overpopulated. Mother Nature sure has some cool ways of doing things, doesn’t she?

Source: http://www.Monarch-Butterfly.com 

Insects Unit: Painted Lady Butterfly

In general, the Painted Lady is a large butterfly (wing span 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in) identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. It has 5 white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hindwings carry 4 small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. Those on the dorsal side are black, but in the summer morph sometimes small blue pupils are present in some.

Fun Facts about Butterflies and Painted Lady Butterflies

•  There are about 125,000 known species of butterflies and moths in the world—approximately 700 species of butterflies in North America alone!

•  Butterflies are solar-powered! They need the sun to fly.

•  Male Painted Ladies have smaller abdomens than females.

 

•  Favorite butterfly flowers—aster, cosmos, thistle and buttonbush

•  Favorite caterpillar plants—thistle, mallow, hollyhock, malva and sunflower

•  Butterflies are diurnal (active during the day).

•  Painted Lady Butterflies see a wider range of color and more shades of green than people do.

•  The tiny scales attached to butterfly wings give the wings their color.

•  Butterflies have taste sensors on their legs!

In the United States, the painted lady is also called “thistle butterfly” and “cosmopolitan butterfly.” 

The lifecycle of a Painted Lady Butterfly has four stages and takes approximately 21 days. But what happens in 21 days is a complete makeover! From an egg laid on a leaf, to hatching as a tiny caterpillar that grows, eats and grows some more, to wrapping itself into a chrysalis and finally emerging as a butterfly that dries its wings in the sun before flying away on a breeze. It’s amazing!