Butterfly metamorphosis is incredible to behold, no matter what
age you are! There are four stages to a butterfly's life cycle:
Egg. The female butterfly lays her tiny eggs on leaves, usually
on the underside. Some butterflies lay their eggs in clusters;
others only one per leaf. Larva. Caterpillars are butterfly
larvae that hatch from the eggs. They like to eat! They'll grow
startling amounts and shed their skin (molt) multiple times as
they grow. Pupa. The pupa of a butterfly is called a chrysalis.
When the caterpillar is ready, it will molt for the last time,
and this time the new skin will form the protective chrysalis
shell. While the pupa seems completely inactive, inside it the
caterpillar is being transformed into a Adult. After about 10-14
days, the butterfly breaks open the chrysalis and crawls out.
Its wings are wet and folded up, so it has to pump fluids into
the wings to expand them before it can fly. >> Watch our
butterfly life cycle video to see the larva, pupa, and adult
stages - you'll even s