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Let’s explore a butterfly’s life cycle. All butterflies have 

complete metamorphosis. To grow into an adult they go 

through 4 stages: egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa (or 

chrysalis) and adult (butterfly). Each stage has a different 

goal - for instance, caterpillars need to eat a lot, and adults 

need to reproduce. Follow along as we talk about each stage.

Definition 

Complete Metamorphosis: metamorphosis is a process some animals go through 

to become adults. It is a series of physical changes, especially common in 

insects.

Butterfly Life Cycle

The First Stage: The Egg

A butterfly starts life as a very small, 

round, oval or cylindrical egg.   The 

coolest thing about butterfly eggs, is that 

if you look close enough you can actually 

see the tiny caterpillar growing inside of 

it. The egg shape depends on the type of 

butterfly that laid the egg. 

Butterfly eggs are usually laid on the 

leaves of plants, so if you are actively 

searching for these very tiny eggs, you 

will have to take some time and examine 

quite a few leaves in order to find some.

Definition

Egg: a single female germ cell, or reproductive cell. 

The Second Stage: The Larva 

(Caterpillar)

When the egg hatches, the caterpillar will start his work and eat the leaf they were born 

onto. This is really important because the mother butterfly needs to lay her eggs on the 

type of leaf the caterpillar will eat – each caterpillar type likes only certain types of 

leaves. Since they are tiny and can not travel to a new plant, the caterpillar needs to hatch 

on the kind of leaf it wants to eat.   

Caterpillars need to eat and eat so they can grow quickly. When a caterpillar is born, they 

are extremely small. When they start eating, they instantly start growing and expanding.  

Definitions

Larva: the young of certain animals that must 

undergo great physical changes before they 

become adults. 

Caterpillar: butterflies in the larva stage.

The Third Stage: Pupa (Chrysalis) 

The pupa stage is one of the coolest stages of 

a butterfly’s life.   As soon as a caterpillar 

is done growing and they have reached their 

full length/weight, they form themselves 

into a pupa, also known as a chrysalis.  

From the outside of the pupa, it looks as if 

the caterpillar may just be resting, but the 

inside is where all of the action is.   Inside 

of the pupa, the caterpillar is rapidly 

changing. 

Now, as most people know, caterpillars are 

short, stubby and have no wings at all.  

Within the chrysalis the old body parts of 

the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable 

transformation, called ‘metamorphosis,’ to 

become the beautiful parts that make up the 

butterfly that will emerge. 

Definitions

Pupa: developmental stage between larva and 

adult 

Chrysalis: pupa of a butterfly enclosed in a 

cocoon   

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