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.
When the egg finally hatches, most of you would expect for a butterfly to emerge, right? Well, not exactly. Butterfly larvae are actually what we call caterpillars. Caterpillars do not stay in this stage for very long and mostly, in this stage all they do is eat. 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. 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. Finally, when the caterpillar has done all of its forming and changing inside the pupa, if you are lucky, you will get to see an adult butterfly emerge. When the butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body.
This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa. As soon as the butterfly has rested after coming out of the chrysalis, it will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping — then they get to fly.
Usually within a three or four-hour period, the butterfly will master flying and will search for a mate in order to reproduce. When in the fourth and final stage of their lives, adult butterflies are constantly on the look out to reproduce and when a female lays their eggs on some leaves, the butterfly life cycle will start all over.
This shell can take many forms and shapes depending on the species of butterfly. Once the caterpillar is firmly in place the exoskelton will split off exposing the pupa. In the case of the Black Swallowtail the final chrysalis will be either green or brown depending on whether the caterpillar is pupating on a green stem or a brown stick. Most butterfly species will stay in the chrysalis for about weeks before the butterfly emerges. Several species overwinter as a pupa and will thus enter diapause in the Fall and stay as a pupa until Spring when the butterfly emerges.
When a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis its wings are crumpled. The butterfly will hang with its wings down and will begin pumping the wings full of fluids from their body to straighten them out. Then the butterfly must wait several hours for the wings to harden and dry before it can fly away.
The lifespan of most adult butterflies is about weeks but this can vary greatly among species. Species that over winter as adults such as Monarchs will live for many months this is only true for the last generation Monarchs each summer that is migrating.
In their lifespan the female adults butterflies must find a mate and the right plants on which to lay their eggs to begin the butterfly life cycle all over again. Following and exploring the life cycle of a butterfly is a great source of entertainment and education! Please spend some time on our website to learn more about attracting and raising these beautiful creatures.
Newsletter for butterfly tips, sales, new products, coupons and more! Email Address. Remember me Log in. Different species of butterflies stay in the chrysalis, or pupal stage, for different periods of time. This can range from about seven days to more than a year, but for a large number of species it is less than 30 days.
The well-known monarch butterfly, for example, spends between nine and 14 days in a chrysalis, while the painted lady butterfly spends only seven to 10 days in the chrysalis. By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use.
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