The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

1. The Life Cycle of a Butterfly By Sarah Jones CS 255

2. Eggs • A butterfly usually lays 200-500 eggs on plant leaves or stems. • Eggs from different butterflies are different shapes and sizes. • Caterpillars hatch from their eggs about 5 days later.

3. Caterpillars • Caterpillars are also called larva. • Caterpillars first eat their egg shell then they eat leaves. • Each time a caterpillar grows, it sheds it’s skin. They shed about 5 times. • After a few weeks, the larva stops eating and growing and looks for a place to change.

4. Chrysalis (pupa) • The caterpillar sheds its skin for the last time and becomes a pupa. • The pupa stays inside a hard shell called a chrysalis. • Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar is turning into a butterfly.

5. Adult Butterfly • When a butterfly is ready to come out of the chrysalis, the wings are visible through the shell. • The chrysalis splits and a butterfly comes out after a few weeks. • Adult butterflies usually only live for about 2 weeks.

6. Different Types of Butterflies • Monarch • Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly • Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly • Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly • For more pictures: Butterfly Pictures - Links to the BEST butterfly pictures, clipart, art, pic, and photos!

7. Millions overlapping scales give butterfly and moths wings their colors. During the time from hatching to pupation, a caterpillar increases its body size more than 30,000 times. The organs used to taste food are not located on a butterflies head - they are located on the terminal segments of the leg (tarsi). For more fun facts: Butterfly Fun Facts ­ Fascinating butterfly facts to amaze your friends ­ everything strange, unusual or bizarre about butterflies is revealed here! Fun Facts about Butterflies

8. This is a great project for kids to understand where butterflies come from. It is easy to do and doesn’t require much time. Where Do Butterflies Come From? Where do butterflies come from?