Learn the life cycle of the butterfly with this coloring handout!
The first stage of the butterfly life cycle is eggs, when an adult butterfly lays the eggs on a leaf. If you look close enough, you’ll be able to see the caterpillar inside!
Once the caterpillar hatches from the egg, all it does until the next stage is eat! It starts with the leaf it was born on, and then eats until it’s ready for the next stage.
The third stage of the butterfly life cycle is the chrysalis (or the cocoon). Once the caterpillar has grown enough, it encloses itself in a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar rapidly changes into a butterfly! This process is called metamorphosis and can take anywhere from one to three weeks.
Once the butterfly is ready to emerge, it breaks open the chrysalis and unfolds its wings. After getting used to its new wings, the butterfly is ready to take off and start the cycle all over again!
