Butterflies life cycle
is one of the
most interesting in all animals.
And it is not only the butterflies - moths, too, have exactly the same
life cycle.
They undergo a metamorphosis through four stages from egg
to larva, pupa, and finally adult.
Butterfly Eggs
The eggs are most often laid on the plants that is larval food. Most
often on the undersode of the leaves, but can also be on trunk or
branches.
Most often they are laid in clusters, but can also be one by
one. There can be anything up to many thousand eggs laid at the time.
The eggs are also called ovum.
Butterfly Larva -
Caterpillar
When the eggs hatch a larvae comes out of each. The larvaes are big
eaters, they start eating the plant on which they hatch straight away,
and they grow quickly.
Each species have
distinctive colours and pettern,some are very pretty,
and as they are nutricious they are also an important part of the food
chain being food for birds and other animals. Some species also have
larvae that we never see because they liveunder bark or under the
ground. Larvaes can produce silk.
Butterfly Pupa
Once the larvae has developed to a certain stage, it transforms into a
pupa - a stage where it is not eating or doing anything else, just
sitting or hanging off a branch while all its organs are transformed
from a larvae to a butterfly. Silk is used to build a cocoon or hang
off the branch. Some species also pupate underground.
Butterfly Adult
Once that is done, an adult butterfly disperses from the pupa. The main
task of this stage is reproduction, so they quickly start mating. How
long the butterflies life cycle takes depends on the species and can
vary
from weeks to years.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
Disclaimer: Although
best efforts have been made to ensure
that all the information on this site is correct,
gondwananet.com is not to be blamed should there be a mistake.
Copyright notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected
by the Law of Copyright. What
does that mean?