Insects - Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis refers to the way that insects develop, grow,
and change form. Metamorphosis actually means "change".
There are two types of metamorphosis--incomplete and
complete.
Incomplete Metamorphosis
About 12% of all insects go through incomplete
metamorphosis. Incomplete metamorphosis has 3 stages.

Egg - A female insect lays eggs. These eggs are often covered by an egg case which protects the eggs and holds
them together.

Nymph - The eggs hatch into nymphs. Nymphs looks like small adults, but usually don't have wings. Insect nymphs
eat the same food that the adult insect eats. Nymphs shed or molt their exoskeletons (outer casings made up of a hard
substance called chitin) and replace them with larger ones several times as they grow. Most nymphs molt 4-8 times.

Adult - The insects stop molting when they reach their adult size. By this time, they have also grown wings.
Complete Metamorphosis
About 88% of all insects go through complete metamorphosis. Complete metamorphosis has 4 stages:

Egg - A female insects lays eggs.

Larva - Larvae hatch from the eggs. They do not look like adult insects. They usually have a worm-like shape.
Caterpillers, maggots, and grubs are all just the larval stages of insects. Larvae molt their skin several times and they
grow slightly larger.

Pupa - Larvae make cocoons around themselves. Larvae don't eat while they're inside their cocoons. Their bodies
develop into an adult shape with wings, legs, internal organs, etc. This change takes anywhere from 4 days to many
months.

Adult - Inside the cocoon, the larvae change into adults. After a period of time, the adult breaks out of the cocoon.
Visit the following insect websites. Write down whether each insect undergoes complete or incomplete metamorphosis. Many of
these sites may not come right out and state if the insect's metamorphosis is complete or incomplete. You may have to infer that
information from the facts that you find.

Beetles

Boxelder Bugs

White Pine Weevils

Bed Bugs

Ants

Silverfish

Crickets

Cockroaches

Butterflies and Moths

Mayflies

Fleas

Odonata - Dragonflies

Houseflies

Bees

Walking Sticks and Leaf Insects

Praying Mantises

Wasps

Dermaptera - Earwigs

Termites

Grasshoppers
With the right combination of soil, water, and temperature, the seed
sprouts and a plant starts growing. Roots grow down and leaves
grow up. The plant grows bigger until it is mature enough to make
flowers.
Flowers help the plant reproduce. Part of the flower makes male
pollen. Then the wind blows or maybe a bee lands on the flower and
carries the male pollen to the female part of the flower, called the
ovule. Ovule means little egg.
When this happens, it is said that the ovule has been fertilized and
now it can grow until it becomes a seed.
If you plant that seed in the ground it sprouts and a new plant
grows. It makes new seeds, and the plants life cycle goes on.
Directions: Answer the following questions.

Q 1: With water, the right
temperature and the right location
(e.g. soil) the seed begins to make a
new plant.
false
true
Q 3: What does a seed need to
sprout?
cereals, milk, and sugar
Q 2: You plant a ____ in the ground.
seed
branch
flower
Q 4: The plant grows big until it
matures to make branches, buds,
and _____.
soil, water, and sunlight
stem
root, seed, and a flower
flowers
candy, pop, and sugar
roots
Q 5: _____ are colorful and
attractive. They contain seeds.
Flowers
Branches
Seeds
Stems
Question 7: This question is available
to subscribers only!
Q 6: ____ push down to anchor the
new plants while they take up
minerals and water from the soil.
Flowers
Roots
Stems
Branches