Stages of a Caterpillar

The Egg

• All caterpillars begin as a tiny egg. Female butterflies lay these eggs on plants so that the caterpillars will have plenty to eat when they finally hatch. Eggs are laid in high quantities, as many do not survive their gestation and will never hatch. Depending on the specific butterfly and circumstance, these eggs can take between one to three weeks to hatch once they are laid.

The Caterpillar

• Tiny caterpillars crawl out of the egg once their gestation has finished. Some newly hatched caterpillars are so small that they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass. Caterpillars spend almost all of their time eating the plants around them, though some are known to eat other insects. Caterpillars also expand in size quite rapidly, with some starting out less than a millimeter long and growing to several inches.

The Pupa

• The next stage in a caterpillar’s life comes when he incases himself in a pupa or chrysalis. Depending on the specific specimen, this stage of development usually lasts about a week. The pupa hangs from a plant or branch, and the caterpillar inside undergoes a dramatic transformation. Essentially, the caterpillar inside is being taken apart and put back together into a completely new creature.

The Butterfly

• Once a caterpillar has completed his metamorphosis, he will break through the outer shell of the pupa. When he emerges, he will no longer be a caterpillar. Instead, he will be a butterfly with large wings. These wings are too soft to fly on and need to sit outside for a few hours while they harden. Once his wings are done, the butterfly can fly out into the world to find a mate and start this process all over again.