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Word Search

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Sing Along!

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Life Cycle of a Butterfly Song (Call Me Maybe) - With Singing

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Singing is NOT one of my strengths but as a good sport, I will perform my own songs. I actually like this song so I didn't mind singing it. Again this video is intended to be used for enhancing education and not for any sort of profit.

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The Butterfly Site

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The First Stage: The Egg

Butterfly Eggs on a Leaf

A butterfly starts life as a very small, round, oval or cylindrical egg. The coolest thing about butterfly eggs, especially monarch butterfly eggs, is that if you look close enough you can actually see the tiny caterpillar growing inside of it. 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.

Butterfly eggs are usually laid on the leaves of plants, so if you are actively searching for these very tiny eggs, you will have to take some time and examine quite a few leaves in order to find some.

The Second Stage: The Larva (Caterpillar)

Butterfly Caterpillar

When the egg finally hatches, most of you would expect for a butterfly to emerge, right? Well, not exactly. In the butterfly's life cycle, there are four stages and this is only the second stage. Butterfly larvae are actually what we call caterpillars. Caterpillars do not stay in this stage for very long and mostly, 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 onto. 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. Since they are tiny and can not travel to a new plant, the caterpillar needs to hatch on the kind of leaf it wants to eat.

Caterpillars need to eat and eat so they can grow quickly. When a caterpillar is born, they are extremely small. When they start eating, they instantly start growing and expanding. Their exoskeleton (skin) does not stretch or grow, so they grow by "molting" (sheding the outgrown skin) several times while it grows.

The Third Stage: Pupa (Chrysalis)

Caterpillar Becoming a Chrysalis

The pupa stage is one of the coolest stages of a butterfly's life. As soon as a caterpillar is done growing and they have reached their full length/weight, they form themselves into a pupa, also known as a chrysalis. From the outside of the pupa, it looks as if the caterpillar may just be resting, but the inside is where all of the action is. Inside of the pupa, the caterpillar is rapidly changing

The Fourth Stage: Adult Butterfly

Butterfly Emerging from a Chrysalis

Finally, when the caterpillar has done all of its forming and changing inside the pupa, if you are lucky, you will get to see an adult butterfly emerge. When the butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body. This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa.

When in the fourth and final stage of their lives, adult butterflies are constantly on the look out to reproduce and when a female lays their eggs on some leaves, the butterfly life cycle will start all over.

How Can You See The Butterfly Life Cycle?

These kids got to observe live Painted Lady caterpillars turn into Butterflies.

There are many different ways that you can catch this miracle happen right before your eyes, for instance, there are live butterfly kits that come with caterpillars so you can see this amazing transformation right in front of you!

These live butterfly kits are amazing for a science project or simply for children to learn all about the ever-changing caterpillar and the butterfly's life cycle in general. One of the greatest things about these live butterfly kits is the fact that after the butterflies hatch out of their pupas, you can observe them for a little while and then let them go!

Letting your butterflies go is not only a satisfying experience but it is one that is very important to teach your children. Children have to learn that animals do not need to be locked up and while it is okay to observe them sometimes, it is always best to let nature take its course.

Teachers can buy a live School Size Painted Lady Butterfly raising kit

Now that you have learned all about the butterfly life cycle, why don't you teach someone else? This amazing life cycle is a great lesson for anyone to learn and it is not only a lesson that involves an ever-changing insect, but it is one that we can apply to ourselves as well. For instance, when a child is feeling down on themselves, you can explain to them that not only do people change inside every day, but insects like the butterfly do too.

The butterfly life cycle is a great story to tell anyone and everyone and it is even better to observe it happen right in front of you. Live butterfly kits allow you to see for yourself the entire life cycle of this incredible creature and allows your children to learn more and more about these beautiful insects!

You can also find out about the dragonfly life cycle, frog life cycle and ladybug life cycle and more information across Learn About Nature.

Butterfly Biology Links

Butterfly Life Cycle Coloring Page
FREE butterfly life cycle coloring page for you to print out and color in!

Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Coloring Page
FREE Monarch butterfly life cycle coloring page for you to print out and color in!

Berkeley's Anise Swallowtails
Lots of pictures of the stages of the Anise Swallowtail butterfly life cycle with emphasis on caterpillars and raising them, but many butterfly pictures as well. One of the best written and documented butterfly rearing sites out there. Also fun to read!!

Captain's European Butterfly Guide

Provides a series of pages with photos outlining the butterfly life cycle process from start to finish.

Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Pictures
Great article with images about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Did you know they have 4 generations a year, and that the last one migrates up to 2,500 miles?

Monarch Butterfly Biology and Migration

A gateway to news, information, activities, and resources about the biology and conservation of this fascinating insect.

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Butterfly Life Cycle - Learn About Nature

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Let's explore a butterfly life cycle in detail, including all four stages of life. All butterflies have "complete metamorphosis." To grow into an adult they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Each stage has a different goal - for instance, caterpillars need to eat a lot, and adults need to reproduce.

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Interactive Game!

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Butterfly Life Cycle - Animal Game

Butterfly Life Cycle is a simple science lesson for kids. In this, kids will learn about the different stages in the life cycle of a butterfly. The lesson will be followed by 2 exercises through which kids can practice and test their understanding of the butterfly life cycle. In the first exercise, kids have to label the butterfly life cycle diagram. In the second exercise, kids have to arrange the various stages of the butterfly life cycle in the correct order.

How to play Butterfly Life Cycle

An engrossing game for kids. Helps to develop memory and english vocabulary while kids have fun on the run.

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Butterfly Life Cycle | Animal Game | Turtle Diary

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Login to rate activities and track progress. Login to rate activities and track progress. Most browsers are no longer supporting Flash games. We are working on making Flash playable in your browser or we will replace this game with a version that does not need Flash. Our team is actively working on it.

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Chrysalis Coloring Page

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Butterfly Lifecycle Worksheet

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YouTube video of the complete lifecycle of a Monarch butterfly.

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YouTube video of the complete lifecycle of a Monarch butterfly.

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Amazing Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

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Life Cycle of Butterflies and Moths

As advanced insects, butterflies and moths have a "complete" life cycle. This means that there are four separate stages, each of which looks completely different and serves a different purpose in the life of the insect.

This is the life cycle of the Monarch ( Danaus plexippus).

The egg is a tiny, round, oval, or cylindrical object, usually with fine ribs and other microscopic structures. The female attaches the egg to leaves, stems, or other objects, usually on or near the intended caterpillar food. (Note: photograph is a Snowberry Clearwing egg.)

The caterpillar (or larva) is the long, worm-like stage of the butterfly or moth. It often has an interesting pattern of stripes or patches, and it may have spine-like hairs. It is the feeding and growth stage. As it grows, it sheds its skin four or more times so as to enclose its rapidly growing body.

The chrysalis (or pupa) is the transformation stage within which the caterpillar tissues are broken down and the adult insect's structures are formed. The chrysalis of most species is brown or green and blends into the background. Many species overwinter in this stage.

The adult (or imago) is colorful butterfly or moth usually seen. It is the reproductive and mobile stage for the species. The adults undergo courtship, mating, and egg-laying. The adult butterfly or moth is also the stage that migrates or colonizes new habitats. The butterfly pictured here is a Monarch, which is fairly large in size. The Monarch's wingspan is 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).

Adult Anatomy

Page text © Paul Opler

Do you have a question about the life cycle?

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As advanced insects, butterflies and moths have a "complete" life cycle. This means that there are four separate stages, each of which looks completely different and serves a different purpose in the life of the insect. This is the life cycle of the Monarch ( Danaus plexippus).

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Lesson Plan