Butterfly Lifecycle

Spongebob Squarepants & Wormy

1st Egg What do they look like?

Round, oval, pod shaped Ribbed/pitted First: off-white to yellow,

change to: dark color/black before caterpillar emerges 1-3 mm, small as a pin head/ SMALLER

Where are can you find the eggs? Eggs are on the top or bottom of leaves On leaves so caterpillar can start

eating when hatched

How long does it take to hatch? 3-7 days Caterpillar will eat its way out of the

egg

2nd Caterpillar• Caterpillar stage lasts 2 weeks-1

month• Caterpillars are larva (early form of

an animal)

• What do they eat?• Leaves, usually the plant that

the egg is laid on• Caterpillars are always eating

and grow very quickly• Caterpillars lose their old skin (molt)

4-5 times

• Preparing to become a Chrysalis• Finds a place to attach (twig,

underground, leaf)• Attach itself with silk pa

3rd Chrysalis• When caterpillar is done growing,

turns into a pupa• What is a pupa?• When an insect is changing• Butterflies’ pupa called

Chrysalis • What is the change called?• Metamorphosis

• Does the pupa eat?• No eating during this stage!

• How long does it stay a pupa?• A few days- many months

4th Butterfly• Butterfly comes out from chrysalis when done changing• Wings are wet and soft when first comes out• How long does it take their wings to dry?

• 3-4 hours • What does a butterfly eat?

• Eat liquid food through a proboscis (flexible tongue butterflies use to eat their food)

• Sip on flower nectar, liquid from rotting fruit, water from puddles, pollen

• How many types of butterflies are there?• 28,000 different types of butterflies

Video!

PBS video

Butterfly Lifecycle