Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey

An explanation of the life cycle of butterflies gets an intriguing twist in this account of the work of a Costa Rican butterfly farm, where blue morpho butterflies are raised and the pupae eventually shipped to museums for display and observation. Detailed discussion of each life stage is accompanied by wonderfully sharp, close-up photographs that show intricate structural details. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Children will be intrigued to learn about the dedication behind a museum butterfly exhibit, with farm workers in Costa Rica and curators in America all contributing to the butterflies’ care. Readers follow the journey through every stage of butterfly maturation, from egg to larva, to pupa, to adult. Step-by-step coverage builds up anticipation for the final metamorphosis. The engaging narrative is illustrated with appealing, full-page photographs. Many of the images are close-ups, allowing for careful study. A useful tie-in to classroom projects on insects and their life cycles (additional information touches on other insects, such as dragonflies, beetles, and grasshoppers).

An explanation of the life cycle of butterflies gets an intriguing twist in this account of the work of a Costa Rican butterfly farm, where blue morpho butterflies are raised and the pupae eventually shipped to museums for display and observation. Detailed discussion of each stage in the butterfly life cycle -- egg, larva, pupa, and adult -- is accompanied by wonderfully sharp, close-up photographs that show intricate structural details, including a three-image sequence that illustrates the emergence of an adult blue morpho from its brilliant emerald-green pupa. It's a bit disconcerting, but also fascinating, to see the industrial overlay on a natural process: eggs are laid on cultivated plants within netted greenhouses, caterpillars at the right age are transferred to an isolated section called the puparium when they're ready to transform, and piles of plucked pupae are sorted and laid out for packaging and shipment. Additional information about metamorphosis, a glossary, and further reading are appended. danielle j. ford