The life cycle of a butterfly
The butterfly life cycle includes four stages.
The first stage : The egg
Butterfly eggs are usually laid on the leaves of plants. Some butterfly eggs may be round, some oval and some may be ribbed while others may have other features. The egg shape depends on the type of butterfly that laid the egg.
The second stage : The larva (caterpillar)
Butterfly larva are actually what we call caterpillars. They do not stay in this stage for a long period of time. In this stage all they do is eat. When the egg hatches, the caterpillar will start his work and eat the leaf they were born on to. This is really important because the mother butterfly needs to lay her eggs on the type of leaf the caterpillar will eat- each caterpillar type likes only certain types of leaves.
Caterpillars need to eat and eat so they can grow quickly.When a caterpillar is born, they are very small. When they start eating, they instantly start growing and expanding. Their skin does not stretch or grow, so they grow by molting several times while it grows.
The third stage : Pupa
As soon as a caterpillar is done growing and they have reached their full length and weight, they form themselves in to a pupa. From the outside of the pupa, it looks as if the caterpillar may be just resting, but the inside is where all of the action is. Inside of the pupa the caterpillar is rapidly changing. The old parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis. All the body parts and organs of a caterpillar have all been changed by the time the pupa is finished, and is now ready for the final stage.
The fourth stage : Adult butterfly
Soon as the butterfly has rested after coming out of the pupa it will pump blood in to the wings in order to get them working and flapping. Within a three or four hours the butterfly will master flying and fly to the world.
By Iranthi Nettikumara
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