table muffled their giggles, too. Ranger Lester didn’t have a clue about what was going on around him. He laughed along with everyone else.
Meanwhile Fiona glanced in the other direction because she still looked ready to burst into tears.
Madison put her arm through Fiona’s as they stood up to move to their next location. “Egg didn’t mean it, Fiona,” she comforted her friend. “He’s just being a show-off. I’m sure he still likes you.”
“I’m not sure I like him, ” she said.
Everyone at the table got up and headed over toward the teachers, who were organizing kids into groups. Next stop was the butterfly house and the apiary, otherwise known as the bee house.
Madison figured that bees were the kind of pests she and everyone else could handle—unlike Egg, Drew, Hart, Chet, Dan, Ranger Lester, and the rest of the boys in the universe.
Most kids pushed together to get a close look at the nature center demonstrations using bees and butterflies. But Fiona just sat on a bench and said she wasn’t in the mood for nature. She wasn’t in the mood for anything. She didn’t know why.
Madison sat down to help her BFF. She could hear Jimmy explaining how the apiary and butterfly zone worked. He was speaking through a loudspeaker.
“I’d like everyone to meet Doug. He’s our resident beekeeper and butterfly keeper,” Jimmy announced.
Doug was dressed in a white outfit that looked like a sumo wrestler’s space suit. Madison could see he wore gloves and a mask that covered his entire head. He lifted off the mask and waved.
“Doug is in charge of maintaining all of the butterfly trees as well as our three primary beehives,” Jimmy continued. “We keep them in this special bee house so the bees can produce their honey at the right temperature.”
“It may be good for bees, but I say it’s too hot in here,” Egg said.
Ms. Ripple said, “Shhhhh!”
“Of course the temperature inside is also regulated for our butterflies,” Jimmy explained. “When caterpillars make the transformation to chrysalis and cocoon, they need warmth. They can also get protection from the sheltering plants and shrubs we have inside the butterfly house.”
“Look!” Aimee had her body pressed up against the screen so she could get a better look at a tree that was filled with yellow, orange, and brown butterflies. “It looks like they have letters on their wings!” she cried.
Doug walked over to the tree and put one of the butterflies on his index finger so he could show the group up close. “Doug is holding a monarch butterfly,” Jimmy announced over the loudspeaker.
“It’s so pretty!” Lindsay said. “And that one has blue on the wings. The spots look like eyes.”
“That’s correct,” Jimmy said. “Those spots are a decoy for predators. Enemies think those are eyes.”
Chet, Drew, and Joanie joked about two butterflies that looked like they were fighting over a flower. Ivy and Lindsay were even chatting. Madison noticed how the butterflies had somehow brought friends and enemies together.
Doug wheeled out a tall cabinet. Inside, more than a hundred butterflies were shown in different stages of development. The entire crowd of seventh graders let out an “Oooooooh.” Doug pointed to one butterfly that had just escaped its chrysalis but hadn’t yet opened its wet wings.
Mr. Danehy wandered around the room to make sure all the kids were behaving, paying attention, and, in the case of his students, checking items off their ultra-important class checklist.
“Don’t you want to see the butterflies?” Madison asked Fiona.
She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t feel so good.”
“I thought you liked this stuff,” Madison said. But Fiona looked away.
Ivy appeared and sat down on the bench next to Madison. “Aren’t you taking notes on this?” she asked.
“Oh,” Madison said. “I forgot. I was just looking at—”
“This stuff has to be important,” Ivy huffed. “What are
Meanwhile Fiona glanced in the other direction because she still looked ready to burst into tears.
Madison put her arm through Fiona’s as they stood up to move to their next location. “Egg didn’t mean it, Fiona,” she comforted her friend. “He’s just being a show-off. I’m sure he still likes you.”
“I’m not sure I like him, ” she said.
Everyone at the table got up and headed over toward the teachers, who were organizing kids into groups. Next stop was the butterfly house and the apiary, otherwise known as the bee house.
Madison figured that bees were the kind of pests she and everyone else could handle—unlike Egg, Drew, Hart, Chet, Dan, Ranger Lester, and the rest of the boys in the universe.
Most kids pushed together to get a close look at the nature center demonstrations using bees and butterflies. But Fiona just sat on a bench and said she wasn’t in the mood for nature. She wasn’t in the mood for anything. She didn’t know why.
Madison sat down to help her BFF. She could hear Jimmy explaining how the apiary and butterfly zone worked. He was speaking through a loudspeaker.
“I’d like everyone to meet Doug. He’s our resident beekeeper and butterfly keeper,” Jimmy announced.
Doug was dressed in a white outfit that looked like a sumo wrestler’s space suit. Madison could see he wore gloves and a mask that covered his entire head. He lifted off the mask and waved.
“Doug is in charge of maintaining all of the butterfly trees as well as our three primary beehives,” Jimmy continued. “We keep them in this special bee house so the bees can produce their honey at the right temperature.”
“It may be good for bees, but I say it’s too hot in here,” Egg said.
Ms. Ripple said, “Shhhhh!”
“Of course the temperature inside is also regulated for our butterflies,” Jimmy explained. “When caterpillars make the transformation to chrysalis and cocoon, they need warmth. They can also get protection from the sheltering plants and shrubs we have inside the butterfly house.”
“Look!” Aimee had her body pressed up against the screen so she could get a better look at a tree that was filled with yellow, orange, and brown butterflies. “It looks like they have letters on their wings!” she cried.
Doug walked over to the tree and put one of the butterflies on his index finger so he could show the group up close. “Doug is holding a monarch butterfly,” Jimmy announced over the loudspeaker.
“It’s so pretty!” Lindsay said. “And that one has blue on the wings. The spots look like eyes.”
“That’s correct,” Jimmy said. “Those spots are a decoy for predators. Enemies think those are eyes.”
Chet, Drew, and Joanie joked about two butterflies that looked like they were fighting over a flower. Ivy and Lindsay were even chatting. Madison noticed how the butterflies had somehow brought friends and enemies together.
Doug wheeled out a tall cabinet. Inside, more than a hundred butterflies were shown in different stages of development. The entire crowd of seventh graders let out an “Oooooooh.” Doug pointed to one butterfly that had just escaped its chrysalis but hadn’t yet opened its wet wings.
Mr. Danehy wandered around the room to make sure all the kids were behaving, paying attention, and, in the case of his students, checking items off their ultra-important class checklist.
“Don’t you want to see the butterflies?” Madison asked Fiona.
She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t feel so good.”
“I thought you liked this stuff,” Madison said. But Fiona looked away.
Ivy appeared and sat down on the bench next to Madison. “Aren’t you taking notes on this?” she asked.
“Oh,” Madison said. “I forgot. I was just looking at—”
“This stuff has to be important,” Ivy huffed. “What are
Similar Books
