The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

A butterfly lays eggs on the leaves of a plant. These eggs hatch and young ones called

larvae or caterpillars come out of the eggs.

The caterpillar first feeds on the egg shell from which it is born. It then starts feeding on the leaves and starts to grow. The caterpillar sheds its skin several times so that it can grow. Once the caterpillar is big enough it stops eating. It then forms a protective layer around itself and at this stage is called chrysalis.

At this stage the carterpillar is now called pupa. The pupa remains motionless in the chrysalis.

Inside the chrysalis the pupa undergoes a series of changes.

After about 15 days, a beautiful adult butterfly emerges out of the chrysalis.

When the butterfly comes out, it's wings are small and wet. The butterfly pumps fluids into it's wings to make them strong and to expand. After a few hours the wings become strong enough and the butterfly is able to fly.

These series of changes in the life cycle of a butterfly is called metamorphosis where each butterfly goes through these 4 stages from an egg to a larva, then to a pupa and finally turn into an adult butterfly.