Subject Science

Grade Level First Grade

Designer Sarah Patterson

LessonLife Cycle of a Butterfly

Welcome to the life cycle of a butterfly! You will witness the changes a caterpillar goes through to become a beautiful butterfly.

Introduction to Life Cycle of a Butterfly

There are many kinds of butterflies! The pictures and information in this PowerPoint are based on the life of a Monarch butterfly!

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Lesson 1-Egg of a Butterfly

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

Lesson 3-PupaLesson 4-Butterfly

Main Menu Home

How much did you learn? Take the life cycle quiz

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4

Lesson 1-Egg of a Butterfly

The mother butterfly lays an egg on a leaf or plant.

She lays the egg by a plant so her larva (baby caterpillar) will have something to eat after it hatches.

Lesson 1-Egg of a Butterfly

When hatching, the larva eat their shell. It gives them energy to grow and find more food. They need to get ready for their next stage of life.

Lesson 1-Egg of a Butterfly

End of Lesson 1-Egg of a Butterfly

GOOD WORK! You have just finished lesson one. Can you believe the larva eat their own egg? Yuck! Please move on to lesson 2 on caterpillars.

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

The newborn caterpillar will spend from two weeks to one month…

Eating.

And eating.

AND EATING!

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

Caterpillars eat mostly the leaves of flowering plants and trees. They use their powerful jaws called mandibles.

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

During this life stage, the caterpillar can grow in size up to 30,000 times.

Can you believe that?

Here is a caterpillar that has just molted.

Since caterpillars grow so fast and so much in this stage, they need to shed their skin, or molt. They molt four to five times as they grow.

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

Lesson 2-Caterpillar

When the caterpillar is nice and fat, it stops eating. It is getting ready for the next stage in its life.

End of Lesson 2Caterpillar

GOOD WORK! You have just finished lesson two. Caterpillars sure do love to eat! Please move on to lesson 3 about the pupa.

Lesson 3Pupa

The caterpillar goes in search for a nice place to attach itself to a leaf or a twig. The caterpillar is getting ready for its third stage of life, the pupa.

Lesson 3Pupa

The caterpillar attaches itself to a twig or leaf by making a little pad of silk. What shape do you think it makes when it is ready to make a chrysalis? Look at the picture to help. Choose a letter below.

g b j

Lesson 3Pupa

Oops! It is not the letter b. Try again. Think of your abc chart.

Click here to try again.

Lesson 3Pupa

Oops! It is not the letter g. Try again. Think of your abc chart.

Click here to try again.

Lesson 3Pupa

That is right! It makes the letter J shape. Good for you! Let’s keep learning.

Click here to go back to learning about the pupa.

Lesson 3Pupa

The caterpillar’s skin splits one more time, it is now in the pupa stage. Underneath the skin is the chrysalis.

Lesson 3Pupa

Metamorphosis is taking place inside this chrysalis. The caterpillar is changing everything to become a butterfly. The wings, legs, and body are formed inside this chrysalis.

Lesson 3Pupa

The pupa stage continues from a few days up to a few months for some butterflies. The Monarch butterfly stays in its chrysalis from 10 to 14 days.

Lesson 3Pupa

One day before the butterfly is ready to come out, the chrysalis becomes transparent or clear enough to see through. It is now ready for its next stage.

End of Lesson 3Pupa

GOOD WORK! You have just finished lesson three. Please move on to lesson 4 on the butterfly. You are so close to seeing a full grown butterfly.

Lesson 4Butterfly

The butterfly is ready to come out of its chrysalis! Now here comes the hard work.It wiggles…

It wobbles…

It works to get…

Lesson 4Butterfly

Free at last!

Lesson 4Butterfly

When a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, a red fluid is noticed. This red fluid is meconium. Meconium is the waste that builds up as the butterfly was forming in the chrysalis. Don’t worry, the butterfly is not hurt!

Lesson 4Butterfly

The butterflies wings are wet and wrinkled. They begin to pump fluid into its wings. The butterfly has been through a lot. It is time for it to sit and rest; it needs its wings to dry out.

Lesson 4Butterfly

It can only eat liquids. It does this through its proboscis, or “tongue.”

The butterfly does not grow anymore. Its life cycle is almost over. It has just one more thing to do. Can you guess what it is?

Lesson 4Butterfly

Lay an egg! The cycle starts all over again!

End of Lesson 4Butterfly

GOOD WORK! You have just finished lesson 4. Go home to see how much you have learned.

How much did you learn?

Find out how much you have learned. You will be asked one question from

each lesson. Good luck. I am sure you’ll flutter right

through it.

How much did you learn?

What does the larva (baby caterpillar) eat to get stronger?

A). Grass

B). Its egg

C). Nectar

Question 1

How much did you learn?

A). Grass

Oops! Larva do not eat grass. Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

C). Nectar

Oops! Larva do not eat nectar.

Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

B). Its egg

You did it! Larva eat their own egg for energy.

Click here to see that slide.

How much did you learn?

What does the caterpillar spend its time doing?

A). Moving

B). Flying

C). Eating

Question 2

How much did you learn?

A). Moving

Oops! Caterpillars do not spend most of their time moving. Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

B). Flying

Oops! Caterpillars cannot fly yet. Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

C). Eating

You did it! Caterpillars spend their time eating. Click here to see that slide.

How much did you learn?

What shape does the caterpillar make when it is ready to make a chrysalis?

A). J

B). G

C). L

Question 3

How much did you learn?

C). J

You did it! Caterpillars make the letter J. Click here to see that slide.

How much did you learn?

B). G

Oops! Caterpillars do not make the letter G.

Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

C). L

Oops! Caterpillars do not make the letter L. Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

What is the correct life cycle of a butterfly?

A). Egg, pupa, butterfly, caterpillar

B). Egg, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly

C). Egg, pupa, caterpillar, butterfly

Question 4

How much did you learn?

C). Egg, pupa, caterpillar, butterfly

Oops! Try again! Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

A). Egg, pupa, butterfly, caterpillar

Oops! Try again! Click to review.

Click to try again.

How much did you learn?

B). Egg, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly

You did it! That is the correct life cycle. Click here to see that slide.

Super job! You are done!

I hope you enjoyed going through the life cycle of a

butterfly.

Please click the button so the next student can learn about

a butterfly.

Lesson 4Butterfly

Check out more pictures. Click here.