The document describes the life cycle of a monarch butterfly from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult butterfly. It shows photos of each stage: the egg hatching into a caterpillar, the caterpillar eating leaves and growing, forming a J shape and shedding its skin to form a chrysalis, the adult butterfly emerging from the hardened chrysalis and expanding its wings to fly.

1. Life Cycles of a Monarch
Butterfly
LaToya Claiborne

2. Monarch Egg
Monarch butterfly egg.
The egg will hatch in
about 8 days.
 SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 26 December 2009. Online Image. Flickr. 23 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813477606/in/photostream/.

3.  This is a recently hatched caterpillar.

A caterpillars first meal is when it eats
its way out of the shell. Now the
caterpillar begins to eat at the leaf.
 SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 9 January 2010. Online Image. Flickr. 22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813477744/in/set-72157624547070910/.

4. Caterpiller
The caterpillar continues to
eat at the leaf, so he can
grow. The marks on the leaf is
what has been eaten by the
caterpillar.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 9 January 2009. Online Image.
Flickr. 30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4812853459/in/photostream/

5. The caterpillar continues to eat
and grow. He is almost ready for
pupation (stage where the caterpillar
Transform into a butterfly).
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 19 April 2010. Onine Image. Flickr. 22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813478124/in/set-72157624547070910/.

6. Monarch Caterpillar
beginning stage of pupation.
The caterpillar begins by making
himself into a “J” shape.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 10 May 2010. Online
Image. Flickr. 22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813478272/in/set-
72157624547070910/.

7. The caterpillar begins to shed
its skin. Look closely near the
head of the caterpillar.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 10 May 2009. Online Image. Flickr.
30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813478370/in/photostream/.

8. Monarch Caterpillar transformation
to a
pupa (chrysalis). The chrysalis is
very
soft.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 10 May 2010. Online Image. Flickr. 22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813478466/in/set-72157624547070910/.

9. The caterpillar takes about 12
minutes to molt. Soon it will be
completely covered.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” Online Image. Flickr. 30
June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813478626/sizes/m/i
n/photostream/.

10. The casing is hardening. The adult
butterfly is beginning to form.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 10 May 2009. Online Image.
Flickr. 30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813040593/in/photostrea
m/

11. Monarch Chrysalis
The monarch butterfly is in the hard
casing, known as a chrysalis.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 11 May 2009. Online Image. Flickr. 22
June 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813664836/in/set-
72157624547070910/.

12. Before the butterfly is due the
chrysalis turns black. The wings
of the butterfly begin to show.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 2 June 2009. Online Image.
Flickr. 30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813040967/in/photostrea
m/.

13. Monarch Butterfly chrysalis cracks and the butterfly
emerges.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 22 April 2010.
Online Image. Flickr. 22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813665260/in/
set-72157624547070910/.

14. The butterfly holds onto
the remains of the
chrysalis. The butterfly’s
wings are soft and it is
not ready to fly.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 22 April 2010. Online Image. Flickr. 30
June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813041379/in/photostream/.

15. The Monarch butterfly continues
to hold onto the chrysalis. He
will continue to hold on until he
is ready to fly.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 22 April 2010. Onine Image.
Flickr. 30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813041613/in/photostrea
m/.

16. The butterfly’s wings have
hardened and the butterfly
makes his way up the plant. The
butterfly is getting ready to fly.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle.” 22 April 2010. Online Image.
Flickr. 30 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813042141/sizes/m/in/pho
tostream/.

17. Monarch
Butterfly ready
to fly.
SidPix. “Monarch Life Cycle”. 22 April 2010. Online Image. Flickr.
22 June 2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidm/4813042397/in/set-
72157624547070910/.