Caterpillar to Butterfly

Hi, my name is Ethan. This is my brother Justin. Today we're going to talk about how caterpillars turn into butterflies. We got some butterfly larvae and watched them turn into painted lady butterflies. First thing that happens is a butterfly lays an egg, which hatches and turns into a larva. Larva is also called a caterpillar. We put our caterpillars in a bowl with sticks and leaves and caterpillar food. Did you know that the caterpillars eat all the time for the first five to ten days? They grow bigger and bigger and even shed their skin. We watched our caterpillars as they grew and each day they got bigger. After seven to ten days, the caterpillars start to hang down from a leaf or a branch. Then it forms a cocoon by shedding its caterpillar skin, which is also called a chrysalis. This is so cool! Watch this! It stays in its cocoon for seven to ten days. At this point, the caterpillars inside are ready to change to a butterfly. When the butterfly is ready to come out, you can see its wings through the cocoon. The butterfly has a long tongue called a proboscis and it drinks nectar from flowers. The butterfly hangs upside down and puts blood into its wings. When the butterfly's wings are dry, it can fly. In another week, the butterfly lays more eggs for the next group of larvae. And that is how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Now the butterflies are free. Thanks for watching!