Butterflies for Kids
From Egg to Butterfly
Printable Version Chapter Contents Off
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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's skin gets too tight and must be shed four or five times during
the caterpillar stage.
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The Chrysalis
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When it is big enough, the caterpillar looks for a good place to turn into a chrysalis.
As soon as it has found one, it casts its skin one more time to reveal a hard case called chrysalis
or pupa. The caterpillars of some species 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 species 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,
for example if the chrysalis is in a cocoon. When the butterfly made it to get out its wings
must dry, therefore they are stretched. When the wings have dried and hardened, the butterfly
can fly away to look for a partner to mate with and finally lay eggs itself.
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The Butterfly Body
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Home
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Trick Film
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