The Lifecycle of a Monarch Butterfly

Human Lifecycle Baby Adult Child Adolescent

Pair and Share Can you describe the stages of your life? What do you know about the stages of a butterfly’s life?

Butterfly Life Stages

Egg The egg is attached to leaves, stems, or other objects. It is the size of a pencil point.

Larva The caterpillar stage! As it eats leaves and grows, the caterpillar sheds its skin four or more times.

Pupa The cocoon starts out a light green color with gold spots. When it becomes clear, we can begin to see the wings of the butterfly.

Adult Before the adult can fly, it’s wings must be dry and strong. They only live for a short time. They lay eggs and the cycle starts again.

Let’s Watch!

Butterfly Poem A mama butterfly lays all her eggs, Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs. The caterpillar first is rather thin, But then it eats till it bursts through its skin. After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig. It makes a shell where it hangs inside. The shell then cracks, and the parts divide. Inside the shell, a change was going on, The form of the caterpillar now is gone. When the shell opens, what comes out? A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Butterfly Poem A mama butterfly lays all her eggs, Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs. The caterpillar first is rather thin, But then it eats till it bursts through its skin. After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig. It makes a shell where it hangs inside. The shell then cracks, and the parts divide. Inside the shell, a change was going on, The form of the caterpillar now is gone. When the shell opens, what comes out? A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Butterfly Poem A mama butterfly lays all her eggs, Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs. The caterpillar first is rather thin, But then it eats till it bursts through its skin. After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig. It makes a shell where it hangs inside. The shell then cracks, and the parts divide. Inside the shell, a change was going on, The form of the caterpillar now is gone. When the shell opens, what comes out? A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Butterfly Poem A mama butterfly lays all her eggs, Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs. The caterpillar first is rather thin, But then it eats till it bursts through its skin. After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig. It makes a shell where it hangs inside. The shell then cracks, and the parts divide. Inside the shell, a change was going on, The form of the caterpillar now is gone. When the shell opens, what comes out? A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Butterfly Poem A mama butterfly lays all her eggs, Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs. The caterpillar first is rather thin, But then it eats till it bursts through its skin. After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig. It makes a shell where it hangs inside. The shell then cracks, and the parts divide. Inside the shell, a change was going on, The form of the caterpillar now is gone. When the shell opens, what comes out? A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!