Caterpillars.
They are the best pets for children. This is my opinion after six months with the delightful species, Jezebel Nymph or Mynes geoffroyi.
My children have been enchanted from the time that they discovered the eggs. We watched them grow and then transferred two-thirds of the caterpillars into a cage. My children did research, made videos and we even got to watch them create their chrysalises!
This week, after much anticipation they have started to eclose, which is the fancy word for emerging from the chrysalis. When the first new butterfly emerged, I found my five-year-old son, running breathlessly towards me as I came in from the car.
“Mummy! Quick! Blazes of excitement!”
He vanished around the corner and I followed. Another life lesson was beginning for us all.
Jane Grows Garden Rooms 