Breanna received her caterpillars in the mail  a few weeks ago.

She diligently watched them, waiting for them to move from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

She was so attached to them that she even took them to the funeral home for a family viewing. I was a little afraid the staff would ask questions, but they only raised their eyebrows, trying to figure out what we had while we scooted on in.

Finally, they “hatched.” She was absolutely thrilled!

Take a look at these incredible creatures. The wing looks like velvet.

The body looks so different from what I expected, and is absolutely gorgeous.

The face is mesmerizing.

Check out this one eating with his proboscus. Amazing!

But the best part of the whole experiment was the butterfly who couldn’t fly. I was sad at first; then I saw him as an incredible gift to Breanna. She carried him around all day on her shoulder, becoming fast friends with him.

I tell you the truth–he shook like crazy when the rest of us handled him, but was smooth and cool and relaxed in Breanna’s hands.

She named him Mr. Butter and spent lots of time playing with him.

He enjoyed playing back.

He also enjoyed a good snuggle.

I guess it’s all that loving that finally helped Mr. Butter to fly out on his own. Breanna misses him, but she will cherish these memories for a lifetime.