Nine Monarch butterflies gingerly took flight on Meadow Field, shortly after a circle of first graders whispered wishes into cupped hands for the butterflies’ safe journeys into the world.

“Do you think they’ll miss us?” one of the first graders asked Teacher Kathy Lopez as the children prepared to release the butterflies on Friday. “I think they’ll like their freedom,” the teacher said she responded.

The students had tended to the butterflies long before they were these orange and black beauties. The kids had collected small caterpillars from milkweed plants on campus, watched as each evolved into a chrysalis, and finally hatched into butterflies.

First Grade Teacher Susan Arteaga said the first of the nine butterflies emerged in a chrysalis box in the classroom on October 6. “As we made careful observations,” she wrote, “here are some comments from first graders.”

“It’s a girl because of the thick veins and no black dots.” “I noticed … that the Monarch has four wings, two on the top and two on the bottom on each side.” “She needs a friend.”

The next day another butterfly hatched, and the observations continued. “It got one leg out at a time.” “Its wings need time to dry.” “Now she has a friend!”

On Friday, Susan and Kathy led the students out to Meadow Field, a black mesh butterfly house in tow. When a panel was unzipped, some of the Monarchs fled the cage quickly and others had to be coaxed into flight.

The students’ long-term study of Monarchs has been extended via picture books, videos and hands-on work into curricular connections to lessons in geography, science, Spanish and art. Susan said the first graders have learned that the Monarchs are decreasing in number and are close to being endangered because of man-made and natural hazards. “They also learned,” she said, “that when you know about something and care about it, you can make a difference.”

Look for the first graders to be giving away little milkwood plants they are growing at ECO Fest once again this spring.