A Butterfly’s Life

A butterfly passes through four stages of life. At each stage, it looks different.

1. Egg

A female butterfly lays an egg on a leaf. The egg is small and round. A special glue sticks it to the leaf. After about five days, the egg hatches.

2. Larva

Out of the egg comes a caterpillar, or larva. The caterpillar eats leaves and grows bigger. It eats a lot! It sheds its skin four or five times as it grows.

3. Pupa

Weeks pass. The caterpillar turns into a pupa. A hard shell called a cocoon forms. Inside, the pupa grows wings and other parts.

4. Adult

The adult butterfly breaks out of the cocoon. It looks for food. It will begin to look for a mate. Soon, the female will lay eggs.

Science Scoop

There are more than 20,000 kinds of butterflies. They come in many colors and sizes. This butterfly is a blue morpho. It lives in the rain forest.

Think!

What insects do you see near your home?

What Is the Difference?

Compare a butterfly to a moth. Answer each question below.

Butterfly

A butterfly has bright colors. It has a long, thin body. It has thin antennas. A butterfly flies in the daytime.

Moth

A moth has dull colors. It has a wide, furry body. It has feathery antennas. It flies at night.

1. Which has thin antennas?

2. Which has a wide body?

3. Which has bright colors?

4. Which flies at night?