Meet thepainted ladies!
You might recognise their distinctive colours and patterns, or maybe this is the first time you’ve come across one. Either way, you’re about to have some fun getting to know the painted lady butterflies. They’ve travelled thousands of miles to spend spring here, and there are plenty of activities for you to discover with them. Print this pack out and get hands-on, or use these activities as inspiration for your own crafts.
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Did you know?
Painted ladies start life as an egg, and then hatch into a spotty caterpillar. After that, they rest in a hard casing – called a chrysalis – for about ten days, until they’re ready to emerge as a butterfly.
Ask an adult to help you cut out these pictures and make your own flipbook.
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Painted ladies are known for their beautiful patterns. Get creative and make your own to keep. What colours will yours be?
Instructions
• Some string • Crayons and
paints
• A hole punch• Scissors
You could use
1. Use crayons or paints to colour in the four butterfly templates on the next page.
2. Ask an adult to help you cut out the templates. If you’re making a mobile, punch holes where the dots are.
3. Thread string through the holes and tie a knot so that they don’t slip out.
4. Hang your mobile, or simply stick the butterflies in your window. If you’d rather wear the wings yourself, use these designs as inspiration and make your own big wings to wear.
Build a butterfly
Cut
HoleIf you don’t have a printer, why not trace or copy the outline of the butterfly with a pencil?
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Did you know?
To stay hidden from predators, painted ladies sometimes spin silk and use it to stick themselves to the bottom of leaves.
Do it fornature
Plant some flowers for the painted ladies.
Can you make a home for them in the garden or a window box? Clusters of purple flowers are their favourite, and if you leave them a patch of thistles or nettles, they’ll have a safe place to lay their eggs too.
Challenge yourself and
get active this Easter
Mirror mirror
1. Stand or sit opposite someone and imagine you’re looking at them in a mirror.
2. Choose a move that makes your heart beat faster, like hopping on one leg or swinging your arm around. The person opposite you should copy exactly what you do.
3. Keep switching between different movements and see if you can both mirror each other.
4. To make it more tricky, why not change between movements more quickly?
Butterflies are symmetrical, which means that one side of them looks exactly the same as the other. Can you make yourself symmetrical with another person?
How to play
Did you know?
Painted ladies can travel 2,500 miles in just one trip. They’ll come
from the deserts of North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia
every spring. It’s a longer migratory flight than any other butterfly!
Now that you’ve got to know the painted lady butterfly, are you ready to have fun with some other Easter creatures? For more at-home activity packs, visit
nationaltrust.org.uk/for-families
If you’d like this information in an alternative format, please call 0344 800 1895 or email [email protected] quoting code: ACCESS ME003.
©National Trust 2021. The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846. Photography ©National Trust Images/Nick Upton
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