What are the main stages of the life cycle of a butterfly?

Answer 1

Metamorphosis the name for rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some insects. The butterfly goes through four stages to become adult butterfly. There are 4 Stages:

Egg: Female butterfies lay their eggs on plants to enable their caterpillars (later stage) to get the food from plant leaves.

Larva: Also called Caterpillar. It emerges from egg after few days. Caterpillars spend most of their time eating.

Pupa: The Caterpillar forms a protection shield called Pupa when it has finished growing. Most of the transformation takes place in side Pupa. Butterflies have a chrysalis and a moth has a cocoon.

Butterfly: When the Pupa has finished transformation the butterfly emerges from the Pupa. The adult Butterfly lays eggs on plants after mating period.

Answer 2

1st Stage- Egg

This stage is when the Mother butterfly lays an egg on a specific plant that is right for the catterpillars to feed on.

2nd Stage- Larva

This Stage is when the Caterpillar or larva is then hatched.

3rd Stage- Pupa

This Stage is when the Caterpillar feeds on the plant that the mother has chosen & starts to grow, also whne the caterpillar's skin gets too small, it's skin splits open & it has new skin underneath, this happens 4-5 times. When the caterpillar is fully grown it makes a little silk pad on a leaf or twig & attaches itself to it. The caterpillar's skin splits for the last time. It is now in the pupa stage.

Under the skin is the Chrysalis, Many changes happen to the chrysalis, The wings, legs & rest of the Butterfly are formed inside the Chrysalis.

4th Stage- Adult

This Stage is the adult stage when the chrysalis splits open and the butterfly comes out.

5th Stage- Mating

The purpose of any courtship routine is to discover the suitability of the potential mate. Part of this process is to discover if the female is already fertilised (pregnant), the female can release a pheromone (chemical) which will show her unavailability, or just not follow the usual mating routine. Once it is established that the pairing is suitable mating takes place. The butterflies stay coupled for a period of time. Sometimes a short time sometimes longer. It is not unusual for the pair to fly while still coupled. Once mated a process occurs which results in the fertilisation of the females eggs. Then she is ready to lay eggs & the cycle will start again!

Answer 3

The butterfly and moth develop through a process called metamorphosis. This is a Greek word that meanstransformation or change in shape.

Insects have two common types of metamorphosis. Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, and cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis. The young (called a nymph) usually look like small adults but without the wings.

Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees have complete metamorphosis. The young (called a larva instead of a nymph) is very different from the adults. It also usually eats different types of food.

There are four stages in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

EggEggs are laid on plants by the adult female butterfly. These plants will then become the food for the hatching caterpillars.

Eggs can be laid from spring, summer or fall. This depends on the species of butterfly. Females lay a lot of eggs at once so that at least some of them survive.

Butterfly eggs can be very small.

Caterpillar: The Feeding StageThe next stage is the larva. This is also called a caterpillar if the insect is a butterfly or a moth.

The job of the caterpillar is to eat and eat and eat. As the caterpillar grows it splits its skin and sheds it about 4 or 5 times. Food eaten at this time is stored and used later as an adult.

Caterpillars can grow 100 times their size during this stage. For example, a monarch butterfly egg is the size of a pinhead and the caterpillar that hatches from this tiny egg isn't much bigger. But it will grow up to 2 inches long in several weeks.

Pupa: The Transition StageWhen the caterpillar is full grown and stops eating, it becomes a pupa. The pupa of butterflies is also called a chrysalis.

Depending on the species, the pupa may suspended under a branch, hidden in leaves or buried underground. The pupa of many moths is protected inside a coccoon of silk.

This stage can last from a few weeks, a month or even longer. Some species have a pupal stage that lasts for two years.

It may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside. Special cells that were present in the larva are now growing rapidly. They will become the legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the adult butterfly. Many of the original larva cells will provide energy for these growing adult cells.

Adult: The Reproductive StageThe adult stage is what most people think of when they think of butterflies. They look very different from the larva. The caterpillar has a few tiny eyes, stubby legs and very short antennae. The adults have long legs, long antennae, and compound eyes. They can also fly by using their large and colorful wings. The one thing they can't do is grow.

The caterpillar's job was to eat. The adult's job is to mate and lay eggs. Some species of adult butterflies get energy by feeding on nectar from flowers but many species don't feed at all.

Flying comes in handy. The adult female can easily fly from place to place to find the right plant for its eggs. This is important because caterpillars can't travel far.

Most adult butterflies live only one or two weeks, but some species hibernate during the winter and may live several months.

Answer 4

their actually are only 4 stages of the stages to a butterfly.And they are the egg the larva the pupa and the adult

Answer 5

egg,larva,pupa,adult butterfly

Answer 6

Egg lava catapult butterfly