Teachers, save “Butterfly Life Cycle” to assign it to your class.

The lifecycle of a butterfly is very different from animals such as humans, dogs and cats. Butterflies do not give birth to babies and the caterpillars looks very different from adult butterflies. The female butterflies look safe places to lay her eggs - usually under a leaf. The butterfly has to lay many eggs because caterpillars are good food for birds and small mammals. The fact that some creatures are prey for other animals is all part of the process of life. The eggs slowly grow into baby caterpillars which, once formed, hatch out of the eggs. Then the caterpillars eat lots of leaves to help them get the energy they need for the next stage of their development. This is when the caterpillar wraps itself inside its own pod called a chrysalis. Over time the podgy little grub transforms into an amazing winged butterfly!