Butterfly Life Cycle: Four Stages of Butterfly Metamorphosis Explained with Diagrams

Life Cycle of Butterfly: A butterfly undergoes several changes while transforming into an adult butterfly. Read here to learn about all stages of a butterfly’s life cycle and interesting facts related to them.

The colour, design, and structure of a butterfly are really mesmerizing and beautiful. The intricate patterns on their wings are often works of art, and the colours are so vibrant and eye-catching that no one can help but stop and admire the sight of these beautiful creatures. The way the light reflects off their wings is almost magical. They are a symbol of joy and happiness. But have you ever tried to delve into the life cycle of a butterfly to know how it grows up to look this fascinating. A butterfly comes across four stages in its life cycle. It starts out as a small, crawling caterpillar, and eventually transforms into a beautiful, flying creature. This article is all about the life cycle of a butterfly where we have explained each stage with the help of pictures.

The life cycle of a butterfly is a vast topic of study that is covered in primary, high school, and senior secondary classes. Therefore, students of all ages must have the basic knowledge of the four stages a butterfly comes across before it becomes a Butterfly actually.

The four stages in a butterfly’s life cycle include egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Let’s discuss these in detail below:

1.Egg: A butterfly starts its life as an egg. The female butterfly lays eggs on the leaf of a specific plant. After a few days, the egg hatches into a larva which is commonly known as a caterpillar. The eggs are usually too small to be visible.

2.Caterpillar (Larva): Caterpillar is a fuzzy, worm-like insect hatched from an egg. It is a voracious eater and grows very quickly. It feeds on the leaves of the plant on which it was hatched. It sheds its skin several times as it grows. Its body is divided into three parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. It also has two antennae on its head. It has three pairs of legs on its thorax and five pairs of prolegs on its abdomen. It is during this stage that the butterfly develops its body and prepares for the pupa stage.

3.Pupa: After the caterpillar has reached its full size, it will form a pupa, also known as a chrysalis. It is a hard, protective casing that protects the caterpillar as it transforms into a butterfly. It is usually green, brown, or black in colour. At this stage, the caterpillar’s body undergoes changes to transform into an adult butterfly.

4.Adult: The pupa eventually breaks open to release the adult butterfly. The adult butterfly that comes out of the pupa is usually weak with wings folded around its body. It rests for a few hours during which it pumps blood into its wings and grows to its full length. After that, the butterfly begins to fly. The adult butterfly will mate and lay eggs, starting the cycle all over again.

Here is a diagram of the life cycle of a butterfly:

The period of completion of the life cycle of a butterfly can vary depending on the species. Some butterflies can complete their life cycle in a month, while others can complete one life cycle in over 200 days. 

Some amazing facts about the life cycle of a butterfly

• The egg of a butterfly is about the size of a pinhead.
• To protect the egg and embryo that is forming, the eggs are attached to a leaf by the butterfly using an adhesive-like substance that glues the egg to the plant leaf.
• The caterpillar of a butterfly can eat its own weight every day.
• Caterpillar’s body is covered with tiny hairs that help it to grip the leaves that it eats.
• The green or brown colour of the caterpillar helps it to camouflage itself from predators.
• On average, most adult butterflies only live for one or two weeks. 

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