Life Cycle of a Butterfly
By Sara
Butterflies are beautiful creatures! They come in many different colors and pretty patterns.
Read below to find out more about them.
Artwork by Sara
Artwork by our friend, Bailee
Artwork by Sara
Butterflies are insects. Almost all insects change form as they grow.
Butterflies go through four stages when they are growing: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. We call this metamorphosis.
Butterflies start out as a small round egg. The eggs are found on leaves and stems of certain plants. It normally takes about five days for the egg to hatch.
After the eggs hatch the butterflies enters the larva stage, which is the worm-like stage of an insect's life. It becomes a baby butterfly caterpillar. It has a yellow and black striped pattern on its body. It may have some spine-like hairs.
Now it has to eat until it grows out of its skin. They are growing a lot during this stage so they have to eat a lot to keep their skin growing for their body. They shed their skin five times.
It will lay on a tree head down and becomes a chrysalis (also known as a cocoon or pupa.) A chrysalis is normally brown or green. It does not eat during this time. It is busy forming its legs and wings.
While they are in the cocoon they change from a caterpillar into an insect called a butterfly.
When it comes out or hatches its wings are wet. They have to wait for their wings to dry.
When it dries they have finished the final stage of becoming a butterfly. Butterflies are brightly colored and have different patterns on their wings.
Butterflies usually live for several weeks. It lays eggs and the cycle starts again.
Butterflies go through four stages when they are growing: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. We call this metamorphosis.
Butterflies start out as a small round egg. The eggs are found on leaves and stems of certain plants. It normally takes about five days for the egg to hatch.
After the eggs hatch the butterflies enters the larva stage, which is the worm-like stage of an insect's life. It becomes a baby butterfly caterpillar. It has a yellow and black striped pattern on its body. It may have some spine-like hairs.
Now it has to eat until it grows out of its skin. They are growing a lot during this stage so they have to eat a lot to keep their skin growing for their body. They shed their skin five times.
It will lay on a tree head down and becomes a chrysalis (also known as a cocoon or pupa.) A chrysalis is normally brown or green. It does not eat during this time. It is busy forming its legs and wings.
While they are in the cocoon they change from a caterpillar into an insect called a butterfly.
When it comes out or hatches its wings are wet. They have to wait for their wings to dry.
When it dries they have finished the final stage of becoming a butterfly. Butterflies are brightly colored and have different patterns on their wings.
Butterflies usually live for several weeks. It lays eggs and the cycle starts again.
Important Words You Should Know About Butterflies
pupa-A pupa is the stage when an insect changes form
metamorphosis-a change in form from one stage to the next in the life of an organism.
abdomen: the stomach
antennae- a sensitive feeler that the butterfly has.
insects- the body is divided into three sections: the head, thorax and abdomen. Most have wings.
larva- a small insect that hatches from an egg is called the larva. The larva of a butterfly is called a caterpillar.
thorax-the part of the body that houses the heart and lungs and a number of structures passing between the neck and the abdomen.
pupa-A pupa is the stage when an insect changes form
metamorphosis-a change in form from one stage to the next in the life of an organism.
abdomen: the stomach
antennae- a sensitive feeler that the butterfly has.
insects- the body is divided into three sections: the head, thorax and abdomen. Most have wings.
larva- a small insect that hatches from an egg is called the larva. The larva of a butterfly is called a caterpillar.
thorax-the part of the body that houses the heart and lungs and a number of structures passing between the neck and the abdomen.
Here's how it works:
A butterfly lays eggs on a leaf.
The eggs hatch and then you have a butterfly caterpillar.
Then the caterpillar becomes a chrysalis.
After growing inside the chrysalis the butterfly comes out.
It is now an adult butterfly that can lay eggs and begin the cycle all over again.
2009. Georgia Science. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
http://www.thebutterflysite.com/life-cycle.shtml
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/metamorphosis
http://www.tooter4kids.com/LifeCycle/vocabulary.htm
http://www.thebutterflysite.com/life-cycle.shtml
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/metamorphosis
http://www.tooter4kids.com/LifeCycle/vocabulary.htm
