The Big Yellow Bus arrives... On a coolish Monday morning, April 19, 2010 Torres Elementary Pre K Children visited Victoria Educational Gardens

The Pre K students from Torres Elementary lined up in groups and toured Sensory, Texas Native, The Koi Pond, planted a seed, visited the Veggie Area and the Butterfly Area.  A real treat in the Butterfly Area was a BUNCH A BUNCH A BUNCH of Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars.

Students on the pathway by the two Belinda's Dream roses.

The students are huddled together under the Jasmine Arbor in the Texas Native Area.

The SUN Patio in the Sensory Area is a great gathering place to start our lessons about 5 senses.

The same group congregates under the arbor.

Torres Elementary Pre K students line up on the Sun Patio.  Everybody got to smell the mint by the sun patio under the Bottle Brush Tree and the red and pink roses in the Sensory Area.

This group met for a lesson about the Texas State Flower, the bluebonnet on the Texas Star Patio.

Another group counted the points on the star and the leaves on the Texas Bluebonnet plant.

While the Pre K students visited the Butterfly Area, the were lots of these Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars to see as they were munching away on the Aristolochia (or Dutchman's Pipe Vine.)

This Pipevine Swallowtail Cat also crawled through the primroses in the Secret Garden looking for more Pipevine.

This is what the Pipevine Swallowtail looks like as an adult.

These older photos taken at VEG a few years ago show  a female Pipevine Swallowtail laying an egg on Aristolochia tomentosa.  You can see at least one little orange egg on the leaf.

Aristolochia tomentosa is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtails.