The Four Stage Life Of The Monarch Butterfly

We went up to the Mira Vista School garden with the intention to clear out the old plants and tidy it up. However what we found was an amazing habitat of pollinators and magic happening in every corner. We stopped clearing and just observed in fascination. The garden was thriving with life and transformation. This video is created using some videos and pictures of caterpillars from the garden. It shows the fascinating four-stage life cycle of the monarch butterfly.

The First Stage: The Egg

According to The Butterflylifesite.com, the butterfly starts out as a small oval egg. The mother butterfly carefully hatched her eggs on the type of leaf the caterpillar will eat. If you look closely enough you can see a tiny caterpillar growing inside this egg.

The Second Stage: The Caterpillar

The next phase of its life it becomes a caterpillar and all they do is eat so they can grow quickly and expand their exoskeleton (skin). They shed their skin several times as they grow bigger.

The Third Stage: ​Pupa (Chrysalis)

Once the caterpillar has grown full size, it forms a chrysalis or a pupa. Within the chrysalis, a ton of action is occurring which is called metamorphosis. “Tissue, limbs, and organs of a caterpillar have all been changed by the time the pupa is finished and is now ready for the final stage of a butterfly’s life cycle.”

The Fourth Stage: The Butterfly

“When the butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body. This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa. It will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping – then they get to fly. Usually within a three or four-hour period, the butterfly will master flying and will search for a mate in order to reproduce. When a female lays their eggs on some leaves, the butterfly life cycle will start all over.