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THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY |
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Once there was a slinky-stripy caterpillar. It was black and white with stripes of yellow and orange around its body. Creep, crawl, creep, crawl it went along a milkweed plant, until it found a juicy leaf. It ate and ate and grew and grew. By and by, its skin was too small--so off it came. Another skin grew and still the caterpillar ate and ate. It went along a milkweed plant, until it found a juicy leaf. It ate and ate and grew and grew. By and by, its skin was too small--so off it came. Another skin grew and still the caterpillar ate and ate. By and by, that skin was too small--and off it came, too. After it had outgrown several skins, the caterpillar was big enough. |
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It spun a silk button and thread and looped its hind legs to a leaf. Down hung its body with the head a little curled up. The next day the skin split and dropped off for the last time. And the caterpillar wasn't a caterpillar any more. It was a pupa in a pale green shell with gold points--like an ornament hanging from a Christmas tree. |
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The shell got darker, thinner, darker, and thinner. One day it split and the pupa wasn't a pupa any more. Out dropped a fat butterfly with folded-up tiny wet wings. It hung on to the empty shell with long black legs. Its body grew long and thin. Flutter--went the wings and grew long, wide, and stiff. Soon there was a beautiful Monarch butterfly with orange wings that had black edges and white spots. Flutter--flutter-- went the wings. Soon the butterfly was strong enough to fly up--up--and away. |
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Later it flew to another milkweed plant and laid tiny green eggs. The eggs hatched into slinky-stripy caterpillars. The slinky-stripy caterpillars ate and ate, and one day turned into pupas that had green and gold shells. And the pupas turned into butterflies with orange wings that had black edges and white spots. |
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BACK |
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COLORING PAGE |
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PLAYROOM HOME |
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NEXT STORY |
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TEDDY BEAR PICNIC PAGES AND SING-ALONG PAGES |
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