2. We will begin the life cycle
with the mating process .
Butterflies use their sense
of smell to find mates.
Females have a special
smell that attracts males.
Males will sometimes follow
a scent for a long distance.
The female butterfly then
lays many eggs at one
time. This is usually during
summer. The eggs are
very small and green so
that they blend in with the
plant leaves.
3. The Larva
The larva hatches from Caterpillars have a
the egg. As it eats head, thorax and an
leaves and grows it abdomen. They have
begins to look more 13 body sections and
familiar to us – what we several legs.
call a caterpillar.
All caterpillars
can spin silk.
They moult
as they grow.
4. After a few weeks or months, the caterpillar
attaches itself to a leaf or branch
They moult one last time. This time
under the skin is a chrysalis or cocoon
which becomes hard. Inside the
chrysalis the caterpillar becomes a
PUPA
Golden chrysalis
5. •The pupa changes into an adult
butterfly
•It grows legs, wings and
antennae
•The change may take from a few
days to two years
Pupa to Adult
•After metamorphosis, the skin of the
pupa splits open and the adult butterfly
crawls out
•It’s wings are very soft so it is only
ready to fly after a few hours
•Most butterflies only live a few days or
weeks therefore they look for a mate
immediately.
6. CAMOUFLAGE
To protect themselves from
predators caterpillars are
specially made to blend into
nature
1. They are either green to blend in
with leaves or branches
2. Or they are a darker colour
disguising themselves as bird
droppings.
I won’t eat something
that looks like my
droppings!
7. The safest
place for
butterflies
to sleep
are under
leaves or
between
cracks in
rocks.
Predators of Butterflies and
Caterpillars
8. Facts About Butterflies
About 50 species of butterflies around the world are endangered
People are the biggest danger to butterflies
Most butterflies feed off the nectar from plants, however
some feed off the juices of dead animals and waste
The proboscis works like a straw to suck up the liquid food
Butterflies smell through their feet and antennae
Monarch butterflies taste bad, so birds and lizards avoid
them
9. Butterfly Morphology
compound eyes
antennae
proboscis
fore wing
fore legs
thorax
hind wing
abdomen
