The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
From Tiny Egg to Beautiful Wings
What is a Life Cycle?
All living things have a life cycle. A life cycle is the journey of growing up. Just like people grow from babies to adults, butterflies also go through special stages as they grow!
Stage 1: Egg
Every butterfly begins as a tiny egg. A mother butterfly lays her eggs on leaves. These eggs are very small – sometimes as tiny as a pinhead!
Stage 2: Caterpillar (Larva)
Out of the egg hatches a caterpillar. This little crawler is hungry and eats lots of leaves to grow big and strong. Caterpillars shed their skin many times as they grow!
Stage 3: Chrysalis (Pupa)
When the caterpillar is big enough, it hangs from a branch and forms a chrysalis, also called a pupa. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar goes through a magical change!
Stage 4: Butterfly (Adult)
Finally, the chrysalis opens, and out comes a beautiful butterfly! It pumps its wings and flies off to explore, find flowers, and start the cycle again by laying eggs.
Why Is the Butterfly Life Cycle Special?
This amazing change is called metamorphosis. It means “big change” – and butterflies really do go through an amazing transformation!
Now You Know!
Wasn’t that amazing? From a tiny egg to a fluttering butterfly, nature is full of surprises! Next time you see a butterfly, remember how much it changed to become so beautiful. Keep exploring, keep learning — and who knows what you’ll discover next!
Thanks for learning with Tiny Champions. 🦋
