Life Cycle of a

Butterfly
Cayandra
What is The Butterfly Life Cycle?
• The Life Cycle of a
butterfly is an amazing
journey of life.
• Butterflies change shape
through FOUR different
stages during their life
time.
• This process of changing
shapes is called
metamorphosis
Stage 1:The Eggs
• As females lay their eggs,
they secrete a small
amount of glue to attach
the eggs directly to the
plant.
• Female monarch
butterflies lay 300-500
eggs over two to five
weeks of egg laying, with
a record in captivity of
1,179!
Stage2: Larva
• Butterfly Larva-more
commonly known as
caterpillars,
Caterpillars consume
grass, leaves, and
other plant material
as they grow up to
1,000 times their
original birth weight.
Stage3: The Pupa
• When the caterpillar is full
grown and stops eating, it
becomes a pupa.
• Depending on the species, the
pupa may suspend under a
branch, hidden in leaves or
buried underground.
• The pupa of many moths is
protected inside a cocoon of
silk.
Stage4: The Adult Butterfly
• The adult stage is
what most people
think of when they
think of butterflies.
• They look very
different from the
larva.