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Butterflies are real magicians. During their lifetime they change three times. This change is called metamorphosis. The butterfly shown here is called Oak Eggar. Click on the pictures below for a larger view.
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The Egg
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First the mother butterfly lays her tiny eggs on a leaf or a trunk. After some time, a caterpillar will hatch from the egg.
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The Caterpillar
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When the caterpillar has hatched, the only thing it has in mind is eating. Most caterpillars eat the rest of their egg first, then they continue with leaves. They need to do this because later as a chrysalis they won't be able to eat for some time. As it puts on so much weight, the caterpillar must shed its skin four or five times when it gets too tight.
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The Chrysalis
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Then the caterpillar looks for a good place to turn into a chrysalis. When it has found one, it casts its skin one more time to reveal a hard case called chrysalis or pupa. The caterpillars of some kinds of butterflies wrap in silk before they change into a chrysalis. So they are better protected. You can hardly see any changes outside the chrysalis, but inside a big change takes place. The caterpillar turns into an adult butterfly. Some butterflies only need some days for this, other species even a few years!
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The Butterfly
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After this period the adult butterfly crawls out of its chrysalis. This is not always easy, if the chrysalis is in a cocoon, for example. When the butterfly made it to get out its wings must dry, then it can expand them. Now it can fly away to look for a partner, mate, and lay eggs itself.
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