What is the life cycle of a butterfly or moth?
All Lepidoptera go through a four-stage life cycle or metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa (PYOO-puh), and adult. The larva, also called a caterpillar, sheds its skin several times as it eats plant material and grows. Then it becomes a dormant pupa with a firm outer case. Chemical changes break down the larva, and special cells form the winged adult butterfly or moth. This takes a few days to a few months, depending on the species. Adults emerge and mate, females deposit eggs on plants, and the cycle begins again. What is a cocoon? Do both butterflies and moths make them? Moths, with some exceptions, make cocoons. A moth larva spins silk from modified salivary glands, forming a cocoon around itself. Inside, the larva changes into a pupa. A moth may incorporate a leaf or twigs in creating a cocoon. Most butterflies have a naked pupa, no fuzz around it, so it isn’t a cocoon. It’s called a chrysalis (KRIS-a-liss). The chrysalis of each butterfly species has a particular shape and coloration. S
