A butterfly’s life cycle

There are four different stages in a butterfly’s life Once the caterpillar is fully grown, it turns into a The butterfly or moth emerges fairly quickly, cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, it metamorphoses but has to spread its wings and let them dry into an adult butterfly or moth. for several hours before taking its first flight.

Morpho helenor Blue morpho Butterflies Go Free Mysterious Chrysalis

True gems from around the globe The chrysalis

From the Greek word khrusos, Chrysalises come in an amazing variety of shapes, Idea leuconoe which means “gold.” colours, sizes and textures. Some of them look Rice paper like a bud, a green leaf, a dead leaf, plant litter, It may look motionless and bark or even bird droppings, while others have fragile, but inside and out defensive spines. All these strategies allow the of sight, a transformation insect, which is vulnerable at this stage in its life, is taking place. to avoid or discourage predators.

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Appearances can be deceiving

1 Amauris ochlea 2 Danaus plexippus 3 Euploea core 4 Tithorea tarricina 5 Philaethria dido 6 Troides rhadamantus 7 Papilio anchisiades 8 Hypolimnas bolina 9 Limenitis archippus 10 Papilio memnon 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 Heliconius hewitsoni Some fabulous butterflies What about cocoons? and moths and See if you can All caterpillars, without exception, turn into a chrysalis their mysterious chrysalises spot these from which a butterfly or moth eventually emerges. butterflies and For many moths, once the caterpillar reaches the final stage in its growth, it weaves a silk cocoon moths in the for itself. Inside this shelter, it turns into a chrysalis. greenhouse. The cocoon shelters it from the elements and hides it from its predators. Dryas julia Dryadula phaetusa Heliconius melpomene Julia Banded orange Postman

Graphium agamemnon • Tailed jay

Papilio lowi Papilio polytes Papilio polyxenes Papilio rumanzovia Attacus atlas • Cobra moth Asian swallowtail Common Mormon Black swallowtail Rumanzovia swallowtail

Pachliopta kotzebuea • Pink rose

Papilio palinurus Troides rhadamantus Parides iphidamas Papilio thoas Banded peacock Small troides Transandean cattleheart Thoas swallowtail Actias luna Luna moth

Morpho polyphemus • White morpho Antheraea polyphemus Phoebis philea Danaus chrysippus Danaus plexippus Siproeta stelenes Polyphemus moth Orange-barred sulphur African monarch Monarch Malachite

Caligo sp. • Owl butterfly Hamadryas feronia Parthenos sylvia Hypolimnas bolina Archaeoprepona demophon Hyalophora cecropia

Feronia cracker Clipper Great eggfly bolina One-spotted prepona Cecropia moth Korall, Kaldari, Jose, Jeevan Hoelscher, Matthew Hectonichus, Desaulniers, Geoff Gallice, Laurent Comacontrol, Caya, Photos: E. Robertson, Gordon Dr. Ramsay, Derek Mark Rainey, Limoges, Gilles Murray, René Lavaltrois, Lauro, Timothy Maxim Larrivée, Philipp Weigell. Marvin Smith, Anne Toal, André Sarrazin,