Contributor: Elephango Editors. Lesson ID: 12106
Discover how a butterfly grows from egg to wings through fun facts, colorful activities, and creative projects!
From Egg to Wings—The Butterfly's Amazing Journey
Believe it or not, they begin as tiny, jelly-like eggs—and they go through a big transformation to become the flying wonders we see outside.
Explore how it happens, step by step!
Stage 1: Egg
The life of a butterfly begins when a female butterfly lays her eggs on the underside of a leaf.
The eggs are super small—about the size of the tip of a pin—and they’re held in place with a sticky glue-like liquid.
Inside each egg, something magical starts to happen: a baby caterpillar begins to grow!
In just a few days (about 3–6), the egg hatches!
Stage 2: Larva (Caterpillar)
When the egg hatches, out crawls a caterpillar, also called a larva.
Its first job? Eat! It begins by munching on the leaf it was born on.
Caterpillars are very hungry and grow super fast. To do that, they shed their skin—just like you’d change your clothes when they get too small.
Some caterpillars shed their skin four or five times before they’re fully grown, which is only about two inches long!
Stage 3: Pupa (Chrysalis)
Once the caterpillar is fully grown, it finds a safe spot on a branch or leaf and attaches itself with silk.
Then—poof!—it sheds its skin one last time and reveals something new underneath: a hard shell called a chrysalis. This stage is also called the pupa.
Inside the chrysalis, something amazing happens. The caterpillar’s body completely changes into a butterfly.
This process is called metamorphosis. It’s one of nature’s coolest tricks!
Stage 4: Adult Butterfly
After about 7–10 days, the chrysalis opens, and out comes a brand-new butterfly!
But the butterfly can’t fly right away. First, it hangs upside down and lets its wings dry and harden. After a couple of hours, its wings are ready—and the butterfly can fly!
Now it drinks nectar, helps pollinate flowers, and looks for a place to lay eggs… so the cycle can begin all over again.
Remember: The Four Stages of a Butterfly’s Life
A butterfly goes through four main stages in its life.
Egg – A tiny egg is laid on a leaf.
Larva – The egg hatches into a hungry caterpillar.
Pupa (Chrysalis) – The caterpillar forms a hard shell and changes inside.
Adult Butterfly – A butterfly emerges with wings, ready to fly!
Extra Cool Facts!
Butterflies are cold-blooded and need warmth to fly.
They can taste with their feet!
They eat with a long straw-like tongue called a proboscis.
Some butterflies, like the monarch, can travel over 2,000 miles!
The biggest butterfly in the world, the birdwing, has wings almost a foot long!
Move to the Got It? section to practice the butterfly life cycle!