The Life Cycle Of A Butterfly

By: Rylee’ Gattis

The Egg

The female butterfly lays from 10-100 eggs on the bottom side of leaves that will be later used for food. Some butterfly eggs may be round, some oval and some may be ribbed while others may have

other features. The egg shape depends on the type of butterfly that laid the egg. If you are searching for these very tiny eggs, you will have to take some time and look at quite a few leaves in order to find some. It takes 7 to 20 days for the egg to hatch depending

on the type of butterfly.

Caterpillar/Larva

This is the feeding and growth stage. As the caterpillar grows, it sheds its skin four or more times so as to enclose its rapidly growing body. Eating

1,000 times their weight in only two months. Their strong appetite helps a constant flow of food through their system helps them get through their first life cycle as quickly as possible so they can become a butterfly. There are

more than 20,000 different species of known caterpillar found all around the world.

Pupa/Chrysalis

When the caterpillar finds a good spot, it hangs upside down, curls its body into a “J” shape. The change from caterpillar to pupa can happen incredibly

fast. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar has dissolved into goo and its body is reorganizing to become a butterfly. This process takes 10 – 14 days, but

depends on temperature—the cooler it is, the longer it takes.

Butterfly

A fully developed butterfly escapes from its chrysalis shell be pumping blood into its head and thorax which swell and crack the shell. The butterfly that emerges is wet and its wings are soft; it must rest to allow its structures to expand, dry, and harden. After which it flies off to find a mate and the life

cycle repeats to produce another generation of butterflies.