How a butterfly lives

How a butterfly lives Siamani A monarch butterfly has four intriguing stages in its life cycle as it goes through a series of metamorphoses. The life cycle commences with the adult butterfly laying eggs on a swan plant leaf.(Monarch butterflies lay up to five hundred eggs).Once the egg has hatched,it is so hungry it eats its own egg shell and then the leaves the egg shell was on. After the egg is laid it hatches four days later. Inside the egg grows a caterpillar, or larva.Caterpillars do not stay in this stage for very long and mostly,in this stage all they do is eat. As soon as a caterpillar is done growing and they have reached their full length/weight, they form themselves into a pupa, also known as a chrysalis. It stays in its chrysalis for about four weeks. Gradually the chrysalis changes colour from light green to dark. Through the process of metamorphosis the butterfly emerges and the life cycle is complete.