Taiwan Today

The Yufeng Elementary School in Tainan County has replaced its traditional natural science project of raising silkworms with one that has the children raising Blue Tiger butterflies instead. The project teaches biology and ecology at the same time, a first in Taiwan. The school's principal, Tung Sheng-hsiong, started raising nectar-bearing plants like the Dregea Formusana soon after taking on the job. As the plants grew, large numbers of the Blue Tiger butterflies began to migrate to the campus. The plants were often covered with masses of caterpillars and eggs. Beginning this year, the school decided to modify the school's natural science project. Previously, the project involved in feeding and observing silkworms; however, the subject has now been changed to raising Blue Tiger butterfly caterpillars. Children can observe and record information about the insects throughout their lives. Li Jung-tian, a director of the school who has researched the ecology of butterflies, says that because silkworms are domesticated, their entire lifestyle is dependent on humans. Each silkworm produces a hundred or so eggs, and those young have to be raised as well. If not, the opportunity for a life lesson is lost. In the butterfly project, the children catch larvae right off the campus and feed them with grass. Li explains that, unlike silkworms, the Blue Tigers display the entire life cycle from egg to larva to cocoon to butterfly, so they are better suited for the children to observe. Li says that the butterflies are present on campus from March through October, and can be observed throughout the academic year. The young turn into caterpillars, and the children release butterflies that flit off and mate, returning to the plants to lay their eggs. Third-grader Zhuo Yu-chun says that seeing the butterflies wolfing down leaves each day makes him feel happy. Once, he even discovered a beautiful butterfly emerging slowly from its cocoon,a miraculous sight.