PAINTED LADY: An Original Animal Mask Poem

When I was teaching second grade, we did a unit of study on butterflies and metamorphosis. My students and I enjoyed observing the development of tiny caterpillars into adult painted lady butterflies in the classroom. I’d take my class on a field trip to The Butterfly Place in Westford, Massachusetts every spring. We loved watching many different kinds of butterflies flitting around under the clear dome, settling on flowers, sipping nectar through their proboscises. It was fascinating!



PAINTED LADY

I settle on a blossom.

I taste it with my feet,
Uncoil my long proboscis
And sip the nectar sweet.

I flit around in sunlight.

I wile away the hours
Dining in your garden,
Feasting on your flowers.

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Painted Lady Butterfly Life Cycle

Butterfly Place in Westford, Massachusetts (Video)