Butterfly Life Cycle

An informative slide show about the life cycle of the butterfly for elementary age children.

1. Ms. Newcombe’s
3
nd
Grade Class

2. •MetamorphosisMetamorphosis is another word for “change”.
•When we study the life cyclelife cycle of a butterfly, we are talking
about the changes that take place from the time it is
born, until it becomes a 
•Life cycle,Life cycle, is not the same as life span. life span. Life span is the
length of time the butterfly lives.
•Most butterflies have a short life span of only a few
weeks.

3. •The very first stage of the
butterfly life cycle begins with
the eggs that the butterfly lays.
* The average number of
reported eggs that a butterfly
will lay is about 700.
* They only lay one egg at a
time, but they can lay many in
a single day.
* The eggs are about the size
of a pinhead.
* The butterflies lay their eggs
on the bottom of leaves where
they will be protected.

4. •The female butterfly will lay her eggs
under a protective leaf that will later
become her baby’s first meal.
•The butterfly eggs will take about
two to three weeks to hatch.
•When the butterfly egg hatches, a
caterpillar caterpillar also known as, a larva larva will
come out.
•The caterpillar hatches through the
egg by waving its head back and
forth pulling its body out slowly.

5. •Caterpillars or larva are very tiny, and are usually a pale
green color when they first hatch.
•They have strong jaws for chewing leaves;
* Their own egg, is the caterpillars first meal
* After they eat their egg, they will eat the leaf that their
mother had laid them on.
•The caterpillar will eat about thirty or more leaves, and
grow to 3000 times it original size, before the next stage
of its life cycle.

6. •Before “inching along” to the third stage of the life cycle,
the caterpillar must go through a moltingmolting process:
1. it stops feeding
2. it spins a small silk pad; skin will start to split
3. it crawls forward leaving old skin behind
4. it starts feeding again, beginning with the nutrient
filled skin they have just shed
•The growing stage between molts is called an instar.instar.
•By the fourth molt the caterpillar is almost ready for
stage three.

7. The caterpillar will:
•Find a safe strong spot, like a leaf or
twig, to hang from.
•Start squirting silk, moving from side
to side, creating a silk mat with a tiny
knob called a button, button, the caterpillar
will hang from this button after
shedding its skin for the last time.
3. A hard case called the chrysalischrysalis forms
around the caterpillar for protection
while it is preparing to become a
butterfly.

8. •Inside of the chrysalis the
caterpillar or pupa, becomes a
green liquid.
•The green liquid begins to form
butterfly parts and the chrysalis
becomes more clear.
•A fully clear chrysalis means a
butterfly is ready to emerge emerge : come
out.
•About three weeks later the
chrysalis splits, and the butterfly
can make its way out …….

9. • Now the butterfly is free to travel by air.
• The butterfly will drink nectar, instead of chewing leaves.
• Bad News: The average butterfly will only live for about two
weeks…
• Good News: Before the butterfly dies it will lay new
eggs…out will come new caterpillars…and
eventually…
newnew ButterfliesButterflies

10. Let’s take a look at the lifecycle
of the butterfly, with a quick
metamorphosis movie…
•Metamorphosis Movie
•Metamorphosis Movie

11. Butterfly Questions and Answers
Fun Facts

12. •http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/lifecycle.shtml

•http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons99/butterfly.html
•http://www.html.org/coolscience/butterfly/
•http://www.indiaparenting.com/kidcentric/learning/science/008.shtml
•http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/encanto/justwingingit/lifecycle.htm
•Kalman, B. (2002). The Life Cycle of a Butterfly. New York: Crabtree
Publishing Company.
•Llewellyn, C. & Watts, B. (2002). Caterpillars. Connecticut: Scholastic
Inc.
* Learn more about the
butterflies that are in your
own backyard