STEM Butterfly Update

Our Beautiful Orange Lacewings Take Flight!

After patiently watching and waiting, our beautiful Orange Lacewing butterflies have officially emerged — and what an adventure it has been!

Last Friday, Ronaldo was the first to squeeze his way out of his chrysalis, with Poppy and Daisy joining him over the weekend. It was incredible for our students to see the transformation we had been learning about happen right here at CGPS.

Ronaldo was the first to be released, although he wasn’t particularly keen to leave us! His debut flight took a little encouragement before he finally spread his wings and headed off to explore the world beyond CGPS.

Poppy and Daisy needed an extra day for their wings to strengthen before their big release — and when the time came, they certainly had us stressing! After a few false starts (or perhaps phew starts!), both butterflies eventually took flight safely in the direction of Carlton Gardens.

Of course, it wasn’t quite the graceful release we had imagined. Poppy or Daisy decided that the middle of our bustling basketball court was an excellent place to test out their wings! 

Our students were fantastic throughout the whole experience, with plenty of excited faces, cheering and encouragement as they watched the butterflies finally take flight.

There was also plenty of science learning along the way! Some students noticed red liquid around the chrysalises after the butterflies emerged. Despite its appearance, it wasn’t blood — it was meconium, a completely normal waste product released by butterflies following their transformation. A little gross, but also a fascinating part of seeing the butterfly life cycle up close!

From chrysalises, to three beautiful butterflies, it has been a wonderful experience for our students. Good luck out there, Ronaldo, Poppy and Daisy! 

Thank you to our community for the volunteer contributions towards the STEM fund that meant we were able to enhance our Science Week experience with some butterflies.