Thorrington’s Monarchs

Press, 16 May 1989, Page 18

Thorrington’s Monarchs

Have you noticed how many monarch butterflies have been around this summer and early autumn? I don’t know whether it has been the long spell of hot dry weather which has brought them out in such numbers, but I think almost everyone has noticed them.

A class from Thorrington Primary School discovered quite a large colony of monarchs not far from their school, by the Heathcote River. Some of the children from Room 11 wrote about them.

By Julie Barrott • Monarch butterflies have been gathering at school on the willow trees down by the Heathcote River. Some children have been collecting some of the butterflies that were killed by the rain and wind.

By Sarah Dunshea • On Tuesday, over ninety Monarchs got killed by the big storm. By Kylie Barlow • Down by the Heathcote River there is a willow tree with hundreds of Monarch butterflies on it. When the storm came, half of the Monarchs died in it and half of them survived. We had a Monarch butterfly called Cedric. He couldn’t fly so we gave him some honey from a sandwich for lunch. After that we let him go outside. By Jarred • I have seen dead Monarchs down in the corner of the school by the Heathcote River. When the storm blew up they drowned in the river, but many of them are coming back. But if you think it is sad, it is not for the class. We know they have to die sometime.