Four Stages of a Butterfly

Metamorphosis

• The word "metamorphosis" comes from a Greek word that means "transformation" and this is indeed what a butterfly goes through as it evolves from one stage to the next and finally becomes an adult. Butterflies, moths, beetles, bees and flies all go through a similar type of metamorphosis, going from egg form into a larval form that in appearance is quite different from what the adult looks like. Not all of these insects will go through the four stages as butterflies do. Insects such as grasshoppers, cockroaches and crickets also experience a metamorphosis, but the young of these and other species like them will closely resemble the adult form, except for the fact that they are smaller.

Egg

• Butterflies are no different from any other insect in that they come originally from an egg. The female butterfly will lay its eggs on a plant. In many instances the female chooses a particular species of plant which the young will be able to feed on when the eggs hatch. Most butterfly eggs are ribbed in appearance and most species of butterfly will lay a multitude of eggs at once, increasing the chances that some will survive. Eggs are laid in every season except for winter, depending on the species of butterfly, the climate and other factors such as the availability of food.

Larval Stage

• In most cases a larva will be able to eat its way out of an egg in about a week. When it emerges it is called a caterpillar and all it will do is eat. The caterpillar will grow, sometimes as much as 100 times its size when it hatched from the egg. It will shed its skin four or five times as it outgrows it. Caterpillars typically have many sets of legs and can be a variety of colors, with each butterfly species having a different color combination. Once a caterpillar has grown large enough it will begin its change into the pupae stage. During the larval stage there are many casualties among caterpillars as predators such as mice, birds and other insects attack and devour them.

Pupa

• The fully grown caterpillar will attach its abdomen to a surface such as a branch or the underside of a leaf with a silky substance and begin to shed its skin for the last time. This is the pupa stage and each species will have a different appearance when in this portion of its life. While in this stage the anatomy of the insect is changing, with the caterpillar turning into the adult butterfly while in a protective cocoon. The cocoon, also known as a chrysalis, is often camouflaged to avoid the gaze of predators. A pupa may take only a few weeks to complete the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly but some species may need as much as two entire years to do so.

Adult

• The adult butterfly will eventually emerge with its wings wet and wrinkled up but they will quickly expand as the insect sends blood through the veins in them. The butterfly will have the ability to fly within an hour of coming out of the cocoon. They will have much longer legs and antennae than the caterpillar had along with a pair of compound eyes. Butterflies have the job of reproducing and some species never eat while in this stage. Others get energy from such sources as nectar found in flowers. Butterflies do not grow in size once they are adults and most types have a short life span of a few weeks; it is enough time to mate and lay eggs to begin the cycle once again.