Hatching of the Silkworm Moth

OK, so I admit to being a little obsessed with these silkworm moths. But. Well. Their history and sad existence fascinates me. And. I was so excited to find one hatching before my eyes this morning! One of my main goals as a teacher is to teach the kids reverence for all life. After all, we are all connected; human, animal, plant, rock...If one species ceases to exist, I believe we lose a little bit of ourselves...

Man can no longer exist as if he, and he alone, is all that matters. Our purpose should be as guardian of the Earth and her creatures, not as selfish destroyer. If we want to save the Earth, we need to totally re work how we do things. Don't we owe this to our children and future generations?

What does this have to do with the silkworm moth? Um. Not much, I guess. But, the silkworm moth we have today is because of man. If we can create such beauty (silk) from the salivary glands of a caterpillar, if we can build amazing cities, invent penicillin, create art, split atoms, fly robots to Mars, invent the iPhone, and the internet; why can't we harness all that intelligence and create a world without poverty, hunger, wars, pollution and dying ecosystems?

(click on images to get more detail)