When rearing Oregon silverspot butterfly larvae (caterpillars) in captivity, zoo entomologists feed the larvae leaves of the early blue violet (Viola adunca) after the caterpillars have emerged from their winter diapause. Zoo entomologists have determined that each larva eats approximately 257 medium-sized violet leaves before it enters the pupal stage of its life cycle. Students who are helping with the project by raising violet plants can provide zoo entomologists with important information about the leaf size and about the number of leaves on each of their plants. In this activity, students will calculate the average leaf size per plant and the average number of leaves per plant over time as the plants grow and submit the results to the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Project at Woodland Park Zoo.

Click on the name of your school to show the early blue violet data:

Click here to send in your Early Blue Violet Math results Visit the Butterflies and Blooms section of Woodland Park Zoo's Web site for lots more information about butterflies including the zoo's Oregon silverspot butterfly conservation project.