Ready for the lowdown on one of nature’s most beautiful insects? Then check out our butterfly life cycle facts! 

Butterfly life cycle top image

We all love butterflies for their beautiful, brightly-coloured wings. But did you know that these fab flyers begin life as something completely different? As they grow, they undergo one seriously terrific transformation – a process known as “metamorphosis“.

Butterfly life cycle facts

Join Nat Geo Kids as we follow the life-cycle of this quirky creature, from the egg to the air!


Stage 1: the egg

Butterfly life cycle facts

It all starts when a female butterfly lays her eggs, usually on leaves or stems of plants. Inside these tiny eggs, caterpillars grow. Depending on the species, the eggs can vary in shape and texture – they can be round, oval or cylindrical, and smooth, bumpy or wrinkled. The time it takes for the eggs to hatch can also vary – in some species, they will hatch within a few weeks and in others they will only hatch once the weather is warm enough.


 
National Geographic Kids magazine: chimp cover

Love animals? You’d love our magazine!

Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine!

(AD)


Stage 2: the caterpillar

Butterfly life cycle facts

Once ready, the caterpillar leaves its egg home and enters the big outside world! And these little critters have one serious appetite – they actually eat their way out of the egg and immediately start chomping on the leaves of the host plant. During this stage, they shed their skin four or five times – as the caterpillar grows, its skin becomes too tight and splits open, revealing a new, larger skin underneath. A fully grown caterpillar can be over 100 times larger than when it emerged from its egg. Wow!


Stage 3: the pupa

Butterfly life cycle facts

Once fully grown, the caterpillar forms itself into a “pupa” (or chrysalis) – a kind of vessel in which the caterpillar changes into a butterfly. They usually do this on twigs or safe, hidden areas around the host plant. The “pupa” stage may last a few weeks to several months depending on the species. During this time, a hardened case forms around the pupa to protect it from predators and extreme weather conditions. And inside, the tissue, limbs and organs of the caterpillar transform. The result? A wonderful winged butterfly!


Stage 4: the butterfly

Butterfly life cycle facts

Once the butterfly is ready to emerge, the case around the pupa splits open. But it’s not time for take off just yet, as the wings are at first wet, soft and wrinkled against its body. The butterfly waits for its wings to dry, and pumps a liquid called hemolymph into them so that they become big and strong. Once fit for flight, this brilliant bug then takes to the air in search for flowers to feed on and for other butterflies to mate with.

 

And that’s the cycle complete – and ready to start all over again!

Butterfly life cycle facts

 

DID YOU KNOW?

Moths also go through this process of metamorphosis. Check out the four stages of the Atlas moth, below – the largest moth in the world!

Butterfly life cycle facts

Images: Atlas moth: Butterfly World. All other images: Getty Images UK. Monarch butterfly on flower: James Laurie, Shutterstock.

Cool, huh? Did you enjoy learning about the butterfly life cycle? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

Likes

LEAVE A COMMENT

THANK YOU

Your comment will be checked and approved shortly.

WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!

COMMENTS

  • Maham

    Wow I love it so much.

  • Ellie/Lis

    YOOO GREAT WORK

  • Debbie

    Hii

  • Grace

    Hello!

  • Queenie

    Cool

  • Guy

    AWESOMENESS!!!!!!

  • Queenie

    Cool

  • Asher152743

    I love butterflies they are so pretty

  • wow!

  • Ella

    wow, this was actually pretty good :)

  • ,

  • Ethan

    I LOVE IT

  • awesome

  • Ethan

  • dan

  • e

    wow

  • Vivian

    Cool

  • wow cool!

  • Jordan

    what a cool book

  • Hfhfj

    Cool

  • Will

    Can’t wait

  • Caitlen

    It’s really cool and fun to look at

  • beatiful

  • Jess

    This website really helps me with my butterfly stages

  • wow

  • great facts i learnt a lot

  • me

    epic soooo epic

  • yay

  • Adam

    wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Aarit Dwivedi

  • Hannah

    nice

  • r

    good job on doing this for every on.

  • cool

  • wow

  • Gg

    Awsome

  • Gloria

    Wonderfull

  • edward

    Its cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.

  • 100220

    coooooool

  • 32aparker

    cool 0-0 like frog cycle

  • love it

  • Debonaire Carlisle

    good to know

  • Zymiere

    I love this app

  • Scarlet

  • Nice

  • Lucy

    Coool

  • Lucy

    Nice

  • yanela

    coo;l can't wait

  • sidney

    cool

  • Duckgirl333

    that was awsome

  • I LOVED it!

  • Emma

    So interesting

  • Emma

    Cool

  • Big Pp

    Awesome

  • Elle

    cool

  • neale

    cool

  • cool

  • Janet

    At the age of f 75 I find di this facinating

  • Ebony

    Cool

  • Cairo

    wonderful infortmation about butterflys

  • Need more information

  • this is booring

  • Adtvart

    How did you do this

  • Jessica

    Cool information

  • novahenriyani@yahoo.com

    I like this artikel

  • Sakhei

    So good im suprised

  • novahenriyani@yahoo.com

    Its so amazing

  • novahenriyani@yahoo.com

    Cool!

  • İlayda

    So beneficial ✨

  • Ash

    That is a good life cycle

  • J

    Wow nice explanation

  • Ziggy

    I love National Geographic kids.

  • Olivia Locke

    I love National geographic kids

  • Best website its sick

  • lila

    this web site is sick

  • Linda

    This helped me with class work ALOT thanks whoever made this

  • Tameka

    Amazing

  • Tameka

    I think that looks amazing and gorgeous!

  • B

    So cool cant wait for more

  • Jaydn-Ray

    omg

  • Jaydn-Ray

    cool

  • Lolita Walsh

    Cool

  • MPdS

    I love it!

  • kmason78O9

    so wow

  • kmason78O9

    wow

  • Alfie

    Cool

  • Jeff

    Cool

  • Jeff

    Epic

  • Asiamartinez2

    Nice butterfly

  • hoor

    i love lady bugs wow

  • laura_uribe

    cool

  • agrace186

    So cool helped loads with my homework thanks

  • waltercougar29

    I cannot believe how kind you are to supply us with all of these answers to homework!

  • Jenna lin 22

    So good

  • Melony

    It was the best out of all of them, my favorite insect was always a butterfly!!!

  • chasethecoolest

    sooooo cooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllll

  • dangelobankhead

    awesome

  • Kiki

    That is super duper Awsome

  • sakina786

    It was interesting because it is fascinating

  • Nitro10000

    Wow

  • Zahira

    Love butterflies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • vidydooda

    that is so awsome!!!!!

  • tanisha

    i love butterflys

  • tanisha

    cool

  • SCAR

    Intresting

  • Giselle400

    These are some fantastic fact l used them for year 2 and they really enjoyed it

  • Max55

    TOTTALY AMAZING!

  • gibson

    this is wonderfullllllll

  • lee

    BUTTERFLYS ARE AWSOME

  • lee

    yay

  • lee

    this is good for kids

  • stiibetron

    AWSOME LIFE CYCLE

  • naibety

    What are great life cycles into wonderful world.

  • NOBODY

    NICE...

  • fred the frog

    epic

  • Riley_Da_Unicorn

    awesome! learnt so much already! :)

  • ChloeEEEEEEEE

    GREAT WEBSITE!!!it helps me to gather more knowledge,after i saw the life cycle of the butterfly,i understand it more.

  • Beverley

    Fantastic! The pictures are really beautiful and facilitates the explanation to the kids.

  • aligator

    AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • swaggamussprim

    Cool I`ve never seen a moth that big.

  • Daniel c

    COOL

  • roaringlion123

    helped me alot

  • Meloetta

    amazing!!

  • GeorgiaBeth

    Awesome

  • imn

    i like it

  • 2022ibarrasamantha

    i like it

  • ghytgf

    cool

  • Lilian

    Lol cool web

  • mikogoh

    I want to know more!!

  • cartney

    greatest information

  • Brianashia

    This is cool

  • raphael_f

    I love butterflies and caterpillers

  • raphael_f

    .

  • sammyki

    SICK

  • sammyki

    I WANT TO BE ONE.

  • berto

    so cool

  • raphael_f

    wow

  • banna303

    coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool amazing thank for the info x

  • UALEC

    Allaka

  • Elsbells54

    It sounds COOL

  • lucy101

    coool

  • lucy101

    it was cool

  • lucy101

    that was amazing i love this website it helped me with my homework thanks

  • shellfish

    awesome

  • Suly

    Cool

  • shemariah

    the moth thing was nasty and i love butterflies

  • billy123

    hi

  • kayleelopez

    AWESOME and COOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Madio

    I really like this

  • billy123

    Im Billy and i like turtles

  • Amoona

    KILL IT!

  • Amoona

    FAB!

  • Amoona

    LOL

  • #awesome-007

    Awesome you practically did my homework for me and I got an A*

  • #awesome-007

    Awesome you practically did my homework and I got an A*

  • fayily

    grsbftfddfsffdxvhsbfxtgfcxddr

  • Yosinfaridun

    Thats so cool

  • Badman2212

    This help me

  • elbetel

    that is cool

  • dcdgvg

    yujh

  • dcdgvg

    cool

  • carlos gutierrez

    cool!

  • cani

    lol

  • perth

    very cool and very awesom

  • perth

    very cool and very awesom

  • joseph2005

    beast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • tumi

    I love the butterfly cycle

  • dvcsav

    wicked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • bran0d3on

    cool

  • pock

    hi

  • nour

    cool

  • Fan

    Very instructing

  • little-diva777

    realy help full I used this at school

  • may

    very instresting about a life cycle of a butterfly

  • Turtle

    Cool

  • bayleewilliams

    so cool

  • ghhgg

    lol

  • myasia

    this is the butterfly

  • Lot

    I hate butterflys

  • Sam

    Mkkkkkk

  • Keerthana

    I hate butterflies

  • hi

    Veryyyyyy veryyyyyy bbbaaaddd:):):):):):):):):):)

  • Keerthana

    Not that good

  • hi

    Not good

  • natgeocrazy

    this helps me on my homework

  • pug love#1

    talk about a me for once!

  • Yoson

    Butterflys are cool

  • Yoson

    cool thing

  • FuzzyWuzzy

    the moth thing looked creepy

  • Qhiara

    Super Informative

  • Chelsea

    LOL

  • Mari0

    Wow cool

  • luigi

    wow crazy

  • kmama3

    awesome

  • BUTTERFLY

    i love butterflys!!!!! (:

  • mattie

    I love butterflys

  • Bellatrix

    Cool

  • mali

    I love butterFLYS

  • Cool guy 5514

    awsome butterflys

  • butterly

    butterflys are cool

  • skylar

    omg

  • david

    cool

  • meli

    cool

  • mel

    cool

  • OZARIUS

    GREAT STUFF!!!!!!!!!LOL

  • janiya

    is it true that butterflyd are cute

  • janiya

    this is best website evever

  • zamiyah

    cool

  • jeesia

    cool

  • zamiyah

    that is cool

  • niomi

    this theached me a lot of stuf

  • Jennifern

    2 things to say number 1 COOL AWESOME RADICAL 2 thing to say I have been learning about life cycles at school

  • andrewtdvvd

    good

  • andrewtdvvd

    awsome

  • andrewtdvvd

    cool

  • Noryang

    COOL!!!!

  • Preme

    I Li ke I Love

  • Lyla

    I love the fact about the eggs

  • Lyla

    I love the fact about the eggs

  • cliodhna

    The egg looks like a grape

  • Jahnavi

    That is amazing

  • Chloe

    This rocks, it could do whith more interesting facts for older ones.

  • tanzeela

    it is intresting

  • Tiddles

    WOW. Those Butterflies are really beautiful. I have got a butterfly home with some caterpillars waiting to turn into butterflies, i hope they look like some of these butterflies!

  • Shanzie

    Hi my name is Nicole and I am ten years old and I am in yr5 . After half term , I have thousands of tests including my first one is spellings and science which we are doing about the butterfly life cycle . This is really great homework help . Thanks

  • SHERELLE

    Hi. Im in year5 and In my class we have also been learning about the butterfly cycle. Its abit sad that they only live for about two odd weeks. I like all of the different coulers thy have on there backs. They are very pretty

  • Shanzie

    This is great

  • Shanzie

    That is really great . It will help me with my homework as my exams are coming up .

ADVERTISEMENT
ANZ subs takeover March 2020 MPU

More Like Insects

Insects

Dung beetle facts!

Roll away with our fab facts about this bonkers bug!
Insects

10 cool facts about ants!

They may be small, but boy are these little critters powerful!
Insects

25 cool things about bugs!

Scared of creepy crawlies? Let’s see if we can change your mind…
Insects

10 facts about honey bees!

Find out all about our brilliant bees!