Egg
Like all insects, butterflies begin their lives as eggs. Female butterflies of some species will lay eggs only on the few kinds of plants that the caterpillars feed on after they hatch.
Butterfly eggs look like tiny bird eggs, that have been flattened on the top and bottom. They are also usually ribbed on their sides. The larva (caterpillar) develops within the egg, eventually chewing its way out after about a week.
Larva or Caterpillar
Caterpillars are feeding and growing machines. A caterpillar may grow to hundreds of times the size that it was when it first hatched. As the caterpillar grows, it periodically molts, shedding its skin to accommodate its larger size. The period between molts is called an instar and caterpillars typically have four or five instars.
Once the larvae is large enough, it starts to look for a pupation site. The larvae will secure itself to the site by a combination of hooks and silk girdles. Once attached the larva sheds its skin for the last time, revealing the pupa beneath.
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Pupa or Chrysalis
When fully grown, the caterpillar undergoes a radical change in appearance called metamorphosis. The process of metamorphosis begins when the caterpillar attaches its abdomen to a solid surface such as a stone or twig and sheds its skin one final time. As the skin is shed, the caterpillar becomes a pupa. A butterfly pupa is called a chrysalis, and inside, the anatomy of the caterpillar is being completely transformed into the anatomy of a butterfly.
Because pupae are immobile, they are vulnerable to attacks by predators. Luckily, many pupae are shaped or colored in ways that look like twigs or leaves, which make them harder to spot, and eat.
Adult
When metamorphosis is complete, the adult butterfly can be seen inside of the skin of the chrysalis. The skin splits and the adult butterfly crawls out.
At first, the wings are wrinkled and the body is fat and bloated. The butterfly pumps its wings to move fluid from its body into its wings. The wings expand, harden and dry, and the adult butterfly can then begin feeding, mating and laying eggs to begin another generation.
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