A butterfly usually lays 200-500 eggs on plant leaves and stems. Eggs from different butterflies are different shapes and sizes. The caterpillars hatch from the eggs about 5 days later.
The caterpillar is also called the larva. Caterpillars first eat their eggshell, then they eat lots of leaves. Each time the caterpillar grows, it needs to shed its old skin or molt. They usually molt 5 times. After a few weeks the caterpillar stops eating and growing and looks for a place to change.
The caterpillar sheds its skin for the last time and becomes a pupa. The pupa stays inside a hard shell called a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, the pupa is changing from a caterpillar's body to a butterfly's body.
The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis after several weeks. The butterfly looks for another butterfly to mate with. After mating, the female butterfly lays her eggs. Adult butterflies usually live for only 2 weeks!
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