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Biology
Life Cycles
Butterfly and Frog Life Stages
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A butterfly changes a lot as it grows. It does not look the same when it is a baby and when it is an adult. This change is called a life cycle, and it helps us understand how living things grow and make more of their own kind. The butterfly life cycle is easy to follow because it has four clear stages.
Key Facts
- A butterfly has 4 main life stages.
- Life cycle = egg + larva + pupa + adult.
- The larva stage is called a caterpillar.
- A caterpillar eats leaves and grows bigger.
- Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar changes into a butterfly.
- An adult butterfly lays eggs, and the cycle starts again.
Vocabulary
- Life cycle
- A life cycle is the set of stages a living thing goes through as it grows and has young.
- Egg
- An egg is the first stage of a butterfly and is often laid on a leaf.
- Larva
- A larva is the young caterpillar stage that eats and grows.
- Pupa
- A pupa is the stage when the caterpillar rests inside a chrysalis and changes.
- Adult
- An adult butterfly has wings, can fly, and can lay eggs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saying a caterpillar is a worm. A caterpillar is the larva of a butterfly, while a worm is a different kind of animal.
- Putting the adult butterfly before the pupa. The correct order is egg, larva, pupa, adult.
- Thinking the chrysalis is an egg. The chrysalis is the pupa stage, where the caterpillar changes into a butterfly.
- Forgetting that the cycle repeats. Adult butterflies lay eggs, so the life cycle starts again.
Practice Questions
- 1 A butterfly lays 6 eggs on one leaf and 4 eggs on another leaf. How many eggs are there in all?
- 2 A caterpillar eats 3 leaves on Monday, 2 leaves on Tuesday, and 4 leaves on Wednesday. How many leaves does it eat altogether?
- 3 A student sees a caterpillar hanging very still inside a chrysalis. Which stage is it in, and what will it become next?