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A butterfly usually
lays 200-500 eggs on plant leaves and stems. Eggs from
different butterflies are different shapes and sizes. The
caterpillars hatch from the eggs about 5 days later. |
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The caterpillar is
also called the
larva.
Caterpillars first eat their eggshell, then they eat lots of
leaves. Each time the caterpillar grows, it needs to shed
its old skin or
molt.
They usually molt 5 times. After a few weeks the caterpillar
stops eating and growing and looks for a place to change.
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The caterpillar
sheds its skin for the last time and becomes a
pupa.
The pupa
stays inside a hard shell called a
chrysalis.
Inside the chrysalis, the pupa is changing from a
caterpillar's body to a butterfly's body. |
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- The adult
butterfly emerges from the chrysalis after several
weeks. The butterfly looks for another butterfly to mate
with. After mating, the female butterfly lays her eggs.
Adult butterflies usually live for only 2 weeks!
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The
Butterfly Life Cycle
