The Life Cycle of Butterflies and Moths

The life cycle of butterflies and moths is a wonder of nature. There are around 60 different types of butterfly in the UK, and more than 2,500 different types of moth. But every one of them goes through four clear stages of their life cycle. The egg, the caterpillar, the pupa, and finally the adult. It all begins with an egg. Butterflies and moths lay very small eggs, sometimes on their own and sometimes in clusters. Most of the time, the female will lay her eggs on or near a plant that her caterpillars like to eat, as they can be extremely fussy eaters. Inside the egg, a caterpillar starts to grow. When it is fully developed and ready to hatch, the caterpillar munches its way out of the eggshell. Caterpillars come in all sorts of shapes, colours and patterns. Some are brightly coloured, some are carefully camouflaged, and some are incredibly hairy. Some don't even look like caterpillars at all. They have three pairs of legs and a number of special sticky feet called prolegs, which help them grip and move their long bodies. The main job of the caterpillar is to eat and grow. They eat and eat until they are too big for their own skin. The caterpillar then sheds its skin to reveal a new larger skin underneath, ready to eat some more. Once fully grown, the caterpillar will look for a safe place to pupate. Some caterpillars pupate attached to their food plant, while others make a cocoon or burrow into the ground. It will then shed its skin one final time to form a chrysalis. Inside, the body parts of the caterpillar are broken down and reformed to make the adult butterfly or moth. This amazing process is called metamorphosis. After a period of transformation, the adult begins to emerge. With a few shakes and wiggles, the chrysalis splits and out it crawls. At first, it looks damp and wrinkled, but it pumps fluid into its wings until they are dry and strong enough to fly. Now it is ready to find a mate and start the cycle all over again.