Butterflies

Butterflies are very colorful and intricate creatures that flutter freely among the beautiful flowers and shrubs on warm days. There are many varieties of butterflies, but the most colorful and popular is the Monarch. The butterfly has one of the most unique life cycles of any creature on Earth. Each one goes through a variety of physical changes, starting out as only an egg and ending as a beautiful butterfly.

A butterfly may lay a single egg or several. It depends on the type of butterfly and the nutrition she has had prior to conceiving. The better health a butterfly is in, the more eggs she will lay at a time. The eggs are laid on various food plants, in areas that are well hidden to protect them from the elements and predators. Most eggs will hatch in approximately ten days, with a small green caterpillar emerging from it. The eggs shell serves as the very first meal for these young caterpillars.

It is amazing just how much food a small caterpillar can consume on a daily basis. The jaws of a caterpillar are very powerful and it is not picky when it comes to nibbling on a variety of foods and plants. Most anything that is edible will be consumed by a caterpillar. As it grows larger, the caterpillar will shed its skin. This will take place several times in its life as a caterpillar.

After a caterpillar has become fully grow, it will enter the next stage of life called pupation. During this time the caterpillar spins a silk pad and then hangs upside down from it. A hormone in the caterpillar begins to make physical changes take place. The caterpillar will remain in this state for approximately two weeks. What emerges is a beautiful butterfly with wings ready to continue life in this new form.

Regardless of the species of butterfly, each one lives a very remarkable life featuring dramatic changes that very few creatures go through. The metamorphous of a butterfly from a caterpillar that hatched from an egg is an unbelievable spectacle to observe. It does make you stop and watch in awe as this new life form emerges.

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Teen spends summer raising butterflies - The Patriot Ledger

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