Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly
Duration: 1:55
How does a tiny egg become a beautiful butterfly? Join our little explorer and watch a real magic trick of nature!
In short
A butterfly's life has four stages. First, a mother butterfly lays a tiny egg on a leaf. A few days later, a little caterpillar comes out of the egg: it eats leaves all day long, grows very fast and changes its skin when it gets too tight. Then the caterpillar hangs upside down and wraps itself in a hard shell called a chrysalis. Inside, its whole body changes: this big change is called metamorphosis. Finally the chrysalis opens and a butterfly comes out, dries its wings in the sun and flies away to the flowers. One day it lays eggs, and the life cycle starts all over again.
What you will learn
- Stage 1: the egg
- Stage 2: the caterpillar (eat, eat, eat!)
- Stage 3: the chrysalis and metamorphosis
- Stage 4: the butterfly
Let's talk about it
Questions to ask after watching, at home or in class. Tap a question to see a short answer.
What are the four stages in the life of a butterfly?
The egg, the caterpillar, the chrysalis and the butterfly.
Why does a caterpillar eat so much?
It needs lots of food to grow very fast before it becomes a butterfly.
What happens inside the chrysalis?
The caterpillar's whole body changes into a butterfly. This big change is called metamorphosis.
