What to Know
- Pasadena (near Rose Bowl Stadium)
- No-contact caterpillar pick-ups are scheduled for Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- $5.99 and up
Butterflies?
It is completely accurate to say that these astounding flyers are often on the move.
We might spy a spectacular pair of wings as the wings' owner flutters among some pretty flowers, or glides among a tree's branches, or hops from shrub to shrub.
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Which means any contemplation of the colorful critter we attempt to undertake? It must be quick.
Good news, though, for aficionados of these ethereal beings: There is a route, though, to lengthening your butterfly-based enjoyment.
If pondering the process is something you and your insect-obsessed tots would like to do this spring, Kidspace Children's Museum has a wonderful way for you to do so.
The sweet solution? Adopt a caterpillar from the Pasadena educational destination, and observe the pre-butterfly days of a painted lady from an up-close vantage point.
Adoptions just opened at Kidspace, and the price to head home with a caterpillar of your own? It starts at $5.99.
You'll want to make plans to stop by the museum, which remains temporarily closed, to pick up your petite 'pillar (there are pick-up hours, so do read all before fluttering by).
"Due to the delicate nature of live caterpillars, they cannot be shipped to you," is the wise word from Kidspace.
There are some other flutter-fun items available for purchase in the Kidspace store, including Butterfly Life Cycle Figurines, which gives kids a better idea as to what will be happening within the caterpillar's cocoon.
After your butterfly emerges later in the springtime, you and your young citizen scientist will have the joy of knowing you're helping the wider world.
"Painted lady butterflies pass through Southern California on a migratory journey that can cover hundreds of miles. By protecting and releasing these beautiful butterflies, you support pollinators that are critical to a balanced ecosystem," shared the Kidspace team.
Kidspace's 25th Annual Butterfly Season is here, oh hooray, and while it is full an at-home happening in 2021, you can still find science-splendid wonder aplenty.
As for when the lauded museum will reopen?
Flutter by this news: Members can return beginning on April 22, which is, you bet, Earth Day.
