How To Raise Monarch Butterflies

Revel in one of the most remarkable miracles of nature.

"Bonnie Kelley-Young's narrative voice is well suited to the subject matter and its audience....The sound effects enhance the story and add to the sense of wonder." -AudioFile

Monarch Butterflies is a richly illustrated, large-format book that celebrates North America’s most recognized butterfly and educates children and families about what they can do to help protect these beloved pollinators from the impacts of habitat loss and climate change.

This step by step guide on the wonderful life cycle of a monarch butterfly, comes with heaps of fun facts and everything you need to know on how to create an ideal pollinators paradise in your own garden. It is an excellent A4 guide, with over 54 pages of beautiful coloured photos and in-depth information - the perfect resource book for teachers working in pre-schools or primary schools, who want to learn more to teach their students on raising healthy monarch caterpillars within the classroom or outdoors. Perhaps you're that person, like me, who treats their caterpillars as pets, and loves being in their garden connected to nature watching the magical transformation. Monarchs butterflies have rapidly become my true passion in life, and now I want to share it with children and educators. I'm hoping this will ignite a passion for Monarchs in others too, and ultimately save this beautiful species from extinction. Monarchs are truly a symbol of hope for our Planet.

Step-by-step instructions and color photographs explain the process of raising monarch butterflies.

“What a wonderful idea for an adventure! Absolutely inspired, timely, and important.” —Alistair Humphreys, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and author of The Doorstep Mile and Around the World by Bike Outdoor educator and field researcher Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle along­side monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration—a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles. Equally remarkable, she did it solo, on a bike cobbled together from used parts. Her panniers were recycled buckets. In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey and the dramatic ups and downs of the nearly nine-month odyssey. We’re beside her as she nav­igates unmapped roads in foreign countries, checks roadside milkweed for monarch eggs, and shares her passion with eager schoolchil­dren, skeptical bar patrons, and unimpressed border officials. We also meet some of the ardent monarch stewards who supported her efforts, from citizen scientists and research­ers to farmers and high-rise city dwellers. With both humor and humility, Dykman offers a compelling story, confirming the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration—and the other threatened systems of nature that affect the survival of us all.

The fascinating and complex evolutionary relationship of the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant Monarch butterflies are one of nature's most recognizable creatures, known for their bright colors and epic annual migration from the United States and Canada to Mexico. Yet there is much more to the monarch than its distinctive presence and mythic journeying. In Monarchs and Milkweed, Anurag Agrawal presents a vivid investigation into how the monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the milkweed—a toxic plant named for the sticky white substance emitted when its leaves are damaged—and how this inextricable and intimate relationship has been like an arms race over the millennia, a battle of exploitation and defense between two fascinating species. The monarch life cycle begins each spring when it deposits eggs on milkweed leaves. But this dependency of monarchs on milkweeds as food is not reciprocated, and milkweeds do all they can to poison or thwart the young monarchs. Agrawal delves into major scientific discoveries, including his own pioneering research, and traces how plant poisons have not only shaped monarch-milkweed interactions but have also been culturally important for centuries. Agrawal presents current ideas regarding the recent decline in monarch populations, including habitat destruction, increased winter storms, and lack of milkweed—the last one a theory that the author rejects. He evaluates the current sustainability of monarchs and reveals a novel explanation for their plummeting numbers. Lavishly illustrated with more than eighty color photos and images, Monarchs and Milkweed takes readers on an unforgettable exploration of one of nature's most important and sophisticated evolutionary relationships.

Learn physics, chemistry, and biology in your own backyard! In Outdoor Science Lab for Kids, scientist and mom Liz Heinecke has created 52 family-friendly labs designed to get you and yours outside in every season. From playground physics to backyard bugs, this book makes it fun and easy to dig into the natural sciences and learn more about the world around you. Have fun learning about: the laws of physics by constructing and using a marshmallow catapult. centripetal forces by swinging a sock filled with gelatin snack and marbles. earthworms by using ground mustard seed dissolved in water to make them wriggle to the surface. germination by sprouting a sapling from a pinecone or tree seed. surface tension and capillary action by growing baking soda stalagmites and stalactites. Many of the simple and inexpensive experiments are safe enough for toddlers, yet exciting enough for older kids, so families can discover the joy of science and STEM education together. Outdoor Science Lab for Kids was a 2017 Finalist for the AAAS/Subaru Prize for excellence in science books. The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.