Marvelous Monarchs By: Wendy Briles Elisabel Reyes Shimona Eason

The Life Cycle A life cycle is a repeating pattern. A butterfly’s life cycle happens in four stages: –Egg –Larva (Caterpillar) –Chrysalis (Pupa) –Adult Butterfly

Stage 1: Egg An adult butterfly lays an egg on a milkweed leaf. The egg will hatch within 5 to 10 days depending on the temperature.

Stage 2: Larva (Caterpillar) Once the larva hatches, it eats its egg. Then it uses the milkweed leaves for food. They eat as much as they weigh. They can grow to about 2 inches long during this stage. As the caterpillar grows it sheds its skin.

Stage 3: Chrysalis (Pupa) When the caterpillar is fully grown at about 18 days, it is ready to make a chrysalis. It hangs upside-down from a twig or leaf and sheds its skin to make a chrysalis. It stays in the chrysalis for about 2 weeks.

Stage 4: Adult Butterfly After about 2 weeks, the adult wiggles out of the chrysalis. The wings are wrinkled and wet. After the wings have been dried by the sun, the butterfly flies away. The adult butterfly lays eggs and the life cycle continues.

StageApproximate Time Span Egg3 – 5 days Larva (Caterpillar)5 -10 days Pupa (Chrysalis)10 days – 2 months Adult2 days – 12 months

The Great Migration During the fall, Monarch butterflies migrate, or travel south, for the winter. They can travel about 4,000 miles to Florida, southern California, and Mexico.

The Great Migration As the seasons change to spring, the butterflies migrate back to the United States.