Bloom's Question: Summarise what happens or key events that occur in each stage of a butterfly's life cycle and identify how long each stage lasts.
Butterfly's Life Cycle
Egg- First, the female butterfly lays her eggs close together on either a plants leaves or stem. These eggs contain growing caterpillars. The eggs hatch at different times depending on the species- some species only take a few weeks and others only hatch when the weather is warm enough (National Geographic Society, 2015).
Caterpillar- When the eggs hatch a tiny and very hungry caterpillar emerges. A caterpillar eats leaves from certain plants and trees depending on the species (Enchanted Learning, 2015). During their stage as a caterpillar they may shed their skin four to five times as it grows (National Geographic Society, 2015). They stay in this stage for two to four weeks.
Chrysalis/Pupa- Once a caterpillar is fully grown it forms itself into a pupa or a chrysalis. They form their pupa/chrysalis on a twig or tree branch to keep itself safe (Enchanted Learning, 2015). The pupa/chrysalis is a hard case that protects the caterpillar from predators and bad weather. This stage may last from as little as a few weeks to several months depending on the species (National Geographic Society, 2015).
Butterfly- When the butterfly is ready to emerge, the case around the pupa/chrysalis splits open (National Geographic Society, 2015). When the butterfly emerges its wings are wet and its body soft and wrinkled so the butterfly has to wait to dry. The butterfly then fly’s away to search for flowers and another butterfly to mate with.
Egg- First, the female butterfly lays her eggs close together on either a plants leaves or stem. These eggs contain growing caterpillars. The eggs hatch at different times depending on the species- some species only take a few weeks and others only hatch when the weather is warm enough (National Geographic Society, 2015).
Caterpillar- When the eggs hatch a tiny and very hungry caterpillar emerges. A caterpillar eats leaves from certain plants and trees depending on the species (Enchanted Learning, 2015). During their stage as a caterpillar they may shed their skin four to five times as it grows (National Geographic Society, 2015). They stay in this stage for two to four weeks.
Chrysalis/Pupa- Once a caterpillar is fully grown it forms itself into a pupa or a chrysalis. They form their pupa/chrysalis on a twig or tree branch to keep itself safe (Enchanted Learning, 2015). The pupa/chrysalis is a hard case that protects the caterpillar from predators and bad weather. This stage may last from as little as a few weeks to several months depending on the species (National Geographic Society, 2015).
Butterfly- When the butterfly is ready to emerge, the case around the pupa/chrysalis splits open (National Geographic Society, 2015). When the butterfly emerges its wings are wet and its body soft and wrinkled so the butterfly has to wait to dry. The butterfly then fly’s away to search for flowers and another butterfly to mate with.