The butterfly goes through an amazing change during its life, called complete metamorphosis. This means it has four different stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
1. Egg: The adventure starts with a tiny egg, which a female butterfly lays on the underside of a leaf. This leaf is usually on a plant that the caterpillar will eat later. Butterfly eggs can look different depending on the species. This stage can last from a few days to several weeks.
2. Larva: When the egg hatches, out comes a tiny caterpillar, which is the butterfly in its larva stage. Caterpillars love to eat and spend most of their time munching on leaves to gain energy. As they grow bigger, they shed their skin several times.
3. Pupa: Once the caterpillar is fully grown, it forms a protective shell around itself called a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar’s body changes completely, turning into wings, legs, and other parts of an adult butterfly. This stage can last weeks or even months.
4. Adult: Finally, the adult butterfly comes out of the chrysalis. At first, its wings are soft and crumpled, but soon they expand and harden. After drying and strengthening its wings, the butterfly is ready to fly, find a mate, and start the cycle again.
The main job of an adult butterfly is to reproduce. They usually live for only a few weeks, but they are very important for pollinating plants as they move from flower to flower.
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