BUTTERFLY'S LIFE CYCLE

THE FOUR STAGES OF A BUTTERFLY'S LIFE:

• Egg
• The Larva (Caterpillar)
• Pupa (Chrysalis)
• Adult Butterfly

Stage One: The Egg
A butterfly starts life as a very small, round, or oval egg. If you look close enough you can actually see the tiny caterpillar growing inside of it. The egg shape depends on the type of butterfly that laid the egg. Butterfly eggs are usually laid on the leaves of plants.

Stage Two: The Larva (Caterpillar)
Butterfly larvae are actually what we call caterpillar. Caterpillars do not stay in this stage for very long and mostly, in this stage all they do is eat. When the egg hatches, the caterpillar will start his work and eat the leaf they were born onto. This is really important because the mother butterfly needs to lay her eggs on the type of leaf the caterpillar will eat. Since they are tiny and can not travel to a new plant, the caterpillar needs to hatch on the kind of leaf it wants to eat.

Stage Three: Pupa (Chrysalis)
The chrysalis (or pupa) is the transformation stage within which the caterpillar tissues are broken down and the adult insect's structures are formed. The chrysalis of most species is brown or green and blends into the background.

Stage 4: An Adult Butterfly
Finally, when the caterpillar has done all of its forming and changing inside the pupa, an adult butterfly will emerge. The butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body. This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa. It will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping – then they get to fly. Usually within a three or four-hour period, the butterfly will master flying and will search for a mate in order to reproduce.

REFERENCES:

• http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/life-cycle
• http://www.thebutterflysite.com/life-cycle.shtml

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