Follow the Monarch Butterfly's life cycle

Butterflies go through a life cycle scientists call Complete Metamorphosis.

They begin with an egg,

change into a larva (caterpillar)

then they change into a pupa

and finally change during metamorphosis into an adult butterfly.

The caterpillar does not look like the adult. It does not eat the same kind of foods the adult eats.

"Complete metamorphosis allows an insect species to make use of multiple habitats. Caterpillars, for example, feed by chewing on leaves. Their parents, butterflies and moths, feed by sipping nectar from flowers through long tubelike mouthparts." IPM for Teachers

Fact: Scientists who specialize in studying
butterflies and moths are called lepidopterists.

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Milkweed & Monarch Butterfly Mania main page

Public Domain Images

Movie on the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly.
By kids for kids. Outstanding!

You must have the QuickTime Player installed. It is free at http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/ both Mac and PC versions.

Symmetry in nature | Measuring Caterpillars

Insect Metamorphosis Worksheet - doc. | pdf.

Identifying Monarch Butterflies Activity

About Milkweed plants

Participate in Monitoring Monarch Larval Monitoring Project

Butterfly Wings - DragonflyTV