The Amazing Butterfly

Every butterfly starts as a tiny egg laid on a leaf. When the egg hatches, a small creature called a larva crawls out. You probably know this stage better as a caterpillar! The caterpillar has one main job: to eat. It eats so many leaves that it grows very fast. Because its skin doesn't grow, it has to shed its old skin and grow new, bigger skin several times. Imagine if you had to get new clothes every time you ate a big lunch! A butterfly spends about $2$ to $4$ weeks just eating and growing in this stage.

Once the caterpillar is full-grown, it stops eating. It hangs upside down and forms a hard shell called a chrysalis. This is the pupa stage. Inside the chrysalis, something amazing happens called metamorphosis. The caterpillar's body actually turns into a liquid 'soup' and rebuilds itself into a butterfly! It grows wings, long legs, and special eyes. It stays hidden in this shell for about $10$ to $14$ days while its body completely transforms.

Finally, the chrysalis splits open. An adult butterfly crawls out! Its wings are wet and crinkly at first. The butterfly must pump fluid into its wings to make them strong and flat. Once the wings are dry, the butterfly flies away to look for flowers. It uses a long, straw-like tongue to drink nectar. Soon, the adult butterfly will lay its own eggs, and the $4$ stages will start all over again!