Insects can be a bit scary, but they can also be beautiful. As third grade students learned, butterflies are normally the latter.
Dr. Ernest Williams, a former Hamilton College biology professor, virtually visited the third grade class on May 26 to teach students about butterflies.
Dr. Williams talked about the origin of the word “butterfly,” along with the physical characteristics of butterflies and their life cycle – from egg to caterpillar to pupa/chrysalis to adult. Dr. Williams also explained how the monarch butterfly migrates from Central Mexico to New York and other parts of the Northeastern United States in the summer, and then back to Central Mexico in the winter.
According to Dr. Williams, there are about 700 types of butterflies in North America and 18,000 types in the world. There are even more moths – about 120,000 variations exist around the world. As part of his presentation, Dr. Williams explained the similarities and differences between the two.
Dr. Williams’ virtual visit was organized by Mrs. Livermore, school librarian.