Happy (Butterfly) Hunting

Florencia en el Amazonas is, in part, a tale of lost love. The titular character, the opera diva Florencia Grimaldi, returns to South America not only to rediscover herself but also to search for the legendary butterfly hunter Cristobal, whom she abandoned to pursue her career. Knowing that Cristobal is lost in the jungle seeking the rare “emerald muse,” Florencia magically transforms into a butterfly at the opera’s conclusion in hopes of reuniting with him.

In this activity, students will explore the life cycles, behaviors, and characteristics of butterflies of the Amazon region who undergo their own magical transformations. They will then design and construct their own species of butterfly, like the “emerald muse,” enabling them to gain a deeper appreciation for the world of Catán’s opera and the many creatures—real and imagined—that inhabit it.

STEP 1. EXPLORE

If your students have not yet learned about butterflies and their life cycle, you can introduce the topic with some basic facts:

• Butterflies are a type of insect. (They have six legs.)
• Their bodies have three main parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. (You can remind students that they have all three!)
• They have two antennae, which they use to smell.
• They have two wings made of scales, which they use to fly and sometimes hide from predators.

It might be helpful to note these points on the board or use an image of a butterfly to illustrate the different body parts. If you have time, you could also introduce students to the concept of a life cycle: A butterfly lays an egg, which grows into a caterpillar, which turns into a chrysalis (not a cocoon!), from which a butterfly emerges. An illustration or diagram might be especially helpful here.

Next, arrange the provided images of butterfly species native to the Amazon around your classroom—either laid out on tables, pinned on a clothesline, or hung on a wall. Then, distribute the included “Field Guide to Butterflies of the Amazon” to each student, which contains the same butterfly images with corresponding descriptions. Have students survey the species displayed across the room and try to match them to those in their field guide—using the wing patterns and colors as their only clues. Once they have identified a match, they should read the information about that species.

After each student has completed their field guide, invite a group discussion about the exercise. Ask:

• What was their favorite butterfly species? Why?
• What surprised them the most about these butterflies?
• Which wing pattern and/or color did they like the most? Which did they like the least?
• Can they see a relationship between a butterfly’s attributes and its name?

STEP 2. CREATE

Now that students have learned about some butterfly species native to the Amazon, they can begin creating their own. Using the included handout, have students brainstorm the unique qualities of their newly discovered species. Depending on class size, you can have students complete this activity independently or in pairs or small groups.

While inventing their butterfly species, students will have to consider:

• Name
• Size
• Distinguishing features (e.g., color, pattern, shape, texture)
• Habitat (e.g., riverbank, meadow, forest)
• Diet (i.e., what it eats)
• Prey (i.e., what eats it)
• Magical power

STEP 3. DESIGN

For this part of the activity, each student can work independently to illustrate their new butterfly species. Distribute the included butterfly template along with any available arts and crafts supplies—colored pencils or markers, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, acrylic gems, etc.

Once all the butterfly designs have been completed, you can display them around the classroom alongside their written descriptions. Now, students can conduct another exploration by seeing what species their classmates have invented! After the whole class has had time to view and learn about each other’s creations, bring them back for a group discussion about the exercise. Ask:

• What did they like about somebody else’s butterfly?
• What patterns and/or colors did they find interesting?
• What magical powers were cool?
• Were there any similarities between some of the species?
• Were there any major differences between some species?

To conclude the lesson, you can compile all the designs and descriptions into a new “Field Guide to Butterflies” of your classroom. You can also bring copies of an empty field guide template to the screening of Florencia en el Amazonas and encourage students to list, draw, and describe all the animals they see in the opera.