Explained: The Life Cycle Of A Butterfly
By: NDTVNewsDesk
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The butterfly life cycle is a four-stage process of complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, and adult butterfly.
Image: Pexels
An adult female butterfly lays tiny eggs, often on specific host plants that will feed the future caterpillar.
Image: Pexels
The egg hatches into a caterpillar, whose main job is to eat and grow rapidly, often consuming its own eggshell first for nutrients.
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Caterpillars molt (shed their skin) several times as they grow, sometimes increasing their size by 100 times.
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Once fully grown, the caterpillar forms a protective casing called a chrysalis (or pupa).
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Inside, it undergoes dramatic transformation (metamorphosis), with its body reorganising into the adult form.
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The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis with soft, wet wings that it must pump blood into and let dry before flying.
Image: Pexels
The adult's role is to feed on nectar, find a mate, and lay eggs, beginning the cycle anew.
Image: Pexels
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