Catch the Hatch at the Library! Event Gallery

Experience nature up close as life hatches and transforms right inside the library!
We’re thrilled to share that our Catch the Hatch display is officially in motion. Our chicken eggs are beginning to hatch, and our monarch butterfly larvae are preparing to enter the chrysalis stage. It’s an amazing time to stop by and observe the wonder of life cycles in real time!

This program is made possible by a grant from LyondellBasell

đŸ„ What’s Happening with the Chicken Eggs?

Our fertilized chicken eggs have been incubating under carefully controlled conditions, and now they’re starting to hatch! If you look closely at the eggs in our incubator, you’ll see small cracks forming and hear tiny peeps as the chicks work their way out.

Science Spotlight:

  • Chicken eggs take about 21 days to hatch.
  • Inside the egg, a chick develops from a single cell into a fully-formed bird, complete with feathers, a beak, and the instinct to peck its way out.
  • Just before hatching, the chick uses its egg tooth—a small, temporary bump on its beak—to break through the shell in a process called pipping.

🐛 What’s New with the Monarch Caterpillars?

Alongside the chicks, our monarch larvae are growing quickly. They’re munching away on milkweed and getting ready to form a chrysalis, the next step before they become butterflies.

Science Spotlight:

  • Monarch butterflies go through complete metamorphosis, which includes four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult.
  • Monarch caterpillars grow up to 2,000 times their size in just a few weeks!
  • When ready, they attach to a surface, hang in a “J” shape, and transform into a chrysalis—a shimmering green casing where the magic of metamorphosis takes place.

đŸ§Ș Why It Matters

These hands-on learning opportunities spark curiosity and help us understand biology, life cycles, and the environment. By watching chickens hatch and butterflies grow, we get a front-row seat to nature’s most fascinating processes.

📍Visit the Library
Come by soon to see the action in person! You might witness a chick breaking free or a caterpillar beginning its transformation. New things are happening every day.

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