Four Growth Stages of a Butterfly

And what’s a butterfly? At best,
He’s but a caterpillar, at rest – John Grey

Every butterfly is an ugly caterpillar before it takes its beautiful form. A caterpillar takes the pains and strives hard to ultimately personify beauty. It becomes a butterfly, a symbol of subtlety, beauty and color! Let us see the four growth stages of a butterfly. Let us see how it morphs from an unattractive being into an attractive little butterfly.

Four Growth Stages of a Butterfly
Egg
The initial stage in the life of a butterfly is an egg. The egg has an outer shell called chorion. The shell protects the larvae inside. The egg has an inner lining of wax, which maintains moisture. Eggs are often laid on the outer side of the leaves of the host plant. They are attached to the plant with a gum-like chemical secreted by the female butterfly. Different species lay different number of eggs at a time.

Larva
The next growth stage of a butterfly is the larval stage. Larvae are also known as caterpillars. After hatching out, the caterpillar interestingly eats its egg case. Larva has a head, thorax and an abdomen. Larvae have a set of real legs accompanied by a set of five false legs. They have six eyes but do not have well-developed eyesight. They respire through the holes on the sides of their bodies. Newly hatched caterpillars are minute but they eat a lot and grow manifold in size. Caterpillars can be dull-colored or may have striped bodies of bright colors. In the larval stage, tiny wing disks appear on the thoracic segments during this stage. They may be hairy or may have bristles. As it grows, a caterpillar continues shedding its skin.

Pupa
During this stage, the larval skin comes off. The time period that elapses between the shedding of skin is called as an instar. After the final instar, a pupa emerges. A spiny part appears at the end of the larva’s abdomen. This spiny part is known as the cremaster. A baby butterfly hangs from the cremaster until it can fly well. Some pupae are capable of moving parts of their abdomen to produce sounds as a defense against predators. During the transformation, a complete reassembly of cells results into the formation of a butterfly. Pupa may appear to rest but they undergo a major reform during this stage.

Adult
An adult butterfly emerges with wings folded up. It has head, thorax and abdomen. It has six legs but it curls up two of them. A butterfly has a long tongue that is used to suck nectar and water. It is called proboscis. It has two sets of wings, hind wings and fore wings. The wings are covered with scales. Mating and reproducing characterize this stage. Female adults lay eggs to start the life cycle again.

The growth stages of a butterfly give a broad idea of the development of a butterfly. The time invested in each of the stages can greatly vary depending on the season of laying and on the species of the butterfly. But what is most appealing to the human eye is the wonderful coloration in the butterflies. What appeals the human mind is the journey full of struggle, the struggle for the emergence of something gentle and gorgeous!