Metamorphosis

MetamorphosisMeans to change or

transform something

Insects that undergo Metamorphosis

AntsMosquitoes Beetles

Moths BUTTERFLIES!

Stage 1--Egg Female adult

butterflies lay lots of eggs on plants

The eggs use the plants as food to get their needed nutrients, so that they can soon hatch

Stage 2--Larva This is when the egg

hatches into a caterpillar This is also known as

the feeding stage for the caterpillar The caterpillar eats lots

of food to grow big It usually grows to be

about 100x larger than its original size

The food is stored and used later as an adult

Stage 3--Pupa This is the cocoon stage, which is also known

as the transition stage. When caterpillars are full grown, they stop

eating and become pupas That means they wrap themselves into a

cocoon A cocoon is a protective covering made of silk The cocoon hangs from a branch while the

caterpillar transforms inside of it Takes about 2 weeks to a month for the transformation to

occur

Stage 4—Adult This is the stage where the

butterfly is now full grown It is the butterfly’s job to

mate and lay more eggs (to start the metamorphosis process all over again!)

Butterfly’s need to fly so that they can fly around and find the best (safest) spot to lay their eggs

Most adult butterflies only live for about 1-2 weeks