Hobbies And Interests
Eggs
Butterflies lay their eggs on plants, so that the hatching caterpillars will have plenty of food available. The specific time of year and specific type of plant depend on the species of butterfly. A butterfly lays many eggs to increase the chances that some will survive. Sometimes the eggs fall prey to a predator, such as the trichogramma wasp, which lays her eggs on butterfly eggs, and the ladybug, whose larvae eat the eggs.
Caterpillars
After about a week, caterpillars chew their way out of the eggs. They eat so much and grow so fast that they must shed their skin four or five times. Many predators feed upon caterpillars, including birds, mice, lizards and frogs; their insect foes include praying mantises, parasitic flies, stink bugs and wasps.
Chrysalis
Butterflies undergo what scientists call "complete metamorphosis." This means that they change their form completely during their life cycle. The most famous stage of this change occurs after the caterpillar sheds its skin for the last time, becoming a pupa. Pupae do not move. Instead, they have attached themselves to an immobile surface, like a rock, a twig or a wall, and once there, they develop a hard outer skin.
Metamorphosis
Inside the chrysalis, the pupa is undergoing many bodily changes, developing legs, antennae and wings. Some of the cells in the caterpillar now provide the food energy for the developing butterfly. How long this takes varies from one species to another, frequently taking three weeks to a month. Some species, however, stay in the chrysalis for two years. Since they don't move, pupae in the chrysalis are vulnerable to many predators; that's why a chrysalis is often camouflaged.