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A butterfly pupa, also called a chrysalis, forms a cuticle that encloses its head and body to shield against extreme temperatures, parasites, and drying out. During metamorphosis, body tissue breaks down and reforms as wings, legs, and other adult parts. Edward K. Boggess/USFWS/WikiMedia Commons.
Within its protective casing, the caterpillar radically transforms its body, eventually emerging as a butterfly or moth. But what does that radical transformation entail?
The series of changes in shape, form, and activities that a butterfly goes through during its lifetime is the life cycle, while the complex biological process involved in the transformation from caterpillars to adult butterflies is called metamorphosis.
The butterfly and moth develop through a process called metamorphosis. This is a Greek word that means transformation or change in shape. Insects have two common types of metamorphosis. Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, and cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis.
The entire, four-stage process, from egg to adult butterfly, is known as complete metamorphosis, or holometabolism. It is not just butterflies that undergo complete metamorphosis. In fact, the majority of insects (including flies, bees, wasps and beetles) have the same, four-stage, life cycle.
Butterflies are perhaps most famous for the process by which a plump little caterpillar transforms into a winged work of art. But they’re not unique in going through this drastic life change,...
The 4 different stages of a butterfly are egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adulthood. These different phases of development are collectively known as complete metamorphosis, meaning that butterflies change appearance with each stage, in contrast to insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis.
The metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly is one of the most iconic transformations in nature. So what exactly happens during this complicated process? Stage 1: Egg. All butterflies start as tiny eggs—each about the size of a pin—that female butterflies deposit on leaves in small clusters.
All members of the order Lepidoptera, the butterflies and moths, progress through a four-stage life cycle, or complete metamorphosis. Each stage—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—serves a purpose in the insect's development and life.
Butterflies and moths go through four key stages of metamorphosis; egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Watch our animated film above and download our life cycle guide and activity sheets to learn more about this incredible process.