The Caterpillars in My Living Room... and My Architecture Designs: Karolyn's Reflection
- Karolyn Ye
- Jul 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 6
By Karolyn Ye, RTR Reflection Runner-up & Great Neck North High School Senior
I never expected to raise insects in my living room. Truthfully, I hated insects more than anything. To me, insects are all the same: grotesque creatures that crawl on the grounds below me. Maybe the lack of nature I experienced as a kid fosters this thought. As I grew older, the amount of time I spent outside lessened and seeing something that typically resides outside evoked an outlandish emotion within me.
It started with my two caterpillars with three milkweed leaves with them, and that was all they needed. In the morning, I would have to clean out the poop in the container and replace the eaten milkweed leaves. The thought of touching those hairy insects scared me. Whether I was placing fresh milkweed in the container or moving the caterpillars to its mesh cage, I never ended up touching those caterpillars. Although I hated the thought of living together with these insects, I would wake up each morning excited to see how the caterpillars have evolved overnight. Even the mere sight of seeing the caterpillars eat from the leaves evoked a joyous sensation that I was doing something that would help the environment.
I remember the moment I saw my butterflies break out from their chrysalises. I wasn’t able to catch the exact moment they emerged, but seeing them appear as beautiful creatures within minutes amazed me. I later went to the Science Museum of Long Island to tag and release my butterflies. At first, I was afraid to touch their wings—afraid that their wispy, fragile wings would be crushed under my fingertips. It took me a few attempts to successfully grab onto their wings, but when I did, it was astounding to see the monarch up close and reminded me how beautiful the caterpillar’s journey and transformation were.
I can't say raising two caterpillars helped me overcome my fear of insects, because I still don't like them. However, this program wasn't here to get me to like caterpillars. Rather, I learned to incorporate the knowledge I obtained about a monarch butterfly’s role in the ecosystem and connect it to myself, and what I can give back to the environment.
As a rising senior, I plan on majoring in civil engineering or architecture. Both these majors not only focus on the design and construction of structures but also the sustainability and how they can contribute to the environment. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright believed that buildings should not be built on nature, but rather in nature. Civil engineering and architecture play a huge role in the environmental impacts a structure provides to society. When taking apart land to construct a structure, one should also give back to the environment by incorporating nature into that structure. Instead of chopping down miles of acres of trees for more space to construct new houses, one can work around nature and incorporate these buildings within or on top of natural organisms. Falling Water is an influential architectural structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that illustrates the idea of incorporating nature within structures. Instead of moving the rocks and plowing down trees across the forest, this house was built on rocks and around trees so that nature is not disturbed. Not only does this prevent biodiversity loss, but the conservation of trees also prevents deforestation and aids in climate change, both prominent factors in the decline of monarch butterflies.
Stay tuned for more RTR Student Reflections on the Monarch Moments blog!
