Created By:
Jessica Mason-Stutzman
Table of Contents
QCC -15 Topic: The Living World: Animals Standard: Recognizes and describes a variety of animal and
plant life cycles. Illustrates the life cycles of a chicken, butterfly, frog, turtle, grasshopper, dog and
fish.
Performance Standard – Life Science – S3L1. Students will investigate the habitats of different
organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitats.
C. Identify features of animals that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
D. Explain what will happen to an organisms if the habitat is changed.
•What is a butterfly?
• Body parts of a butterfly
• Butterfly life cycle
•Video of the life cycle
•What happens in each stage of the life cycle?
• The egg
•The caterpillar
• Pupation video
•The butterfly
• Monarch Butterfly Life cycle
• Graph – how much time is spent in each step
of the cycle?
•Sequencing
• Activity – make a comic strip.
•Habitats
– Monarch
• Activity – create a chrysalis!
– More games and activities from
the web!
•Monarch Butterfly Life cycle
• Graph – how much time is spent in each
step of the cycle?
• Sequencing
– Activity – make a comic strip.
• Habitats
– Monarch
• Activity – create a chrysalis!
–Web Quest!
What is a Butterfly?
• Butterflies are beautiful, flying insects
with large scaly wings. Like all insects,
they have six jointed legs, 3 body
parts, a pair of antennae, compound
eyes, and an exoskeleton. The three
body parts are the head, thorax (the
chest), and abdomen (the tail end).
The butterfly's body is covered by tiny
sensory hairs. The four wings and the
six legs of the butterfly are attached to
the thorax. The thorax contains the
muscles that make the legs and wings
move.
Abdomen - The abdomen is the segmented tail area
Abdomen
of an insect that contains the heart, Malpighian
tubules, reproductive organs, and most of the
digestive system.
Antenna - An antenna is a sensory appendage that
Antenna
is attached to the head of adult insects. Antennae
are used for the sense of smell and balance.
Butterflies have two antennae with clubs at the end.
Compound Eye
Compound
Eye - Insect compound eyes are made
up of many hexagonal lenses.
Fore
wing - The fore wings are the two upper wings.
Forewing
Head - The head is the part of the insect that
Head
contains the brain, two compound eyes, the
proboscis, and the pharynx (the start of the
digestive system). The two antennae are attached
to the head.
Hindwing
wing - The hind wings are the two lower
Hind
wings.
Leg - All adult butterflies have six legs. The two
forelegs of some butterfly species are tiny.
Proboscis - Adult butterflies sip nectar and other
Proboscis
liquids using a spiral, straw-like proboscis
located on their head.
Thorax
Thorax - The thorax is the body section between
the head and the abdomen. The legs and wings
attach to the thorax.
Butterfly Life-Cycle
EGG
PUPA
ADULT
LARVAE
Watch the Life Cycle Slide Show
A butterfly usually lays 200-500 eggs on plant leaves
and stems. Eggs from different butterflies are different
shapes and sizes. The caterpillars hatch from the eggs
about 5 days later.
The caterpillar is also called the larva. Caterpillars first
eat their eggshell, then they eat lots of leaves. Each
time the caterpillar grows, it needs to shed its old skin
or molt. They usually molt 5 times. After a few weeks
the caterpillar stops eating and growing and looks for a
place to change.
The caterpillar sheds its skin for the last time and
becomes a pupa. The pupa stays inside a hard
shell called a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, the
pupa is changing from a caterpillar's body to a
butterfly's body.
Pupation
The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis after
several weeks. The butterfly looks for another
butterfly to mate with. After mating, the female
butterfly lays her eggs. Adult butterflies usually live
for only 2 weeks!
Butterfly Life Cycle
EGG, 5, 6%
EGG
LARVAE
ADULT, 35,
44%
LARVAE,
28, 35%
PUPA
ADULT
PUPA, 12,
15%
•Students investigated
butterfly life cycles.
•Students read text on life
cycles.
•Students created a comic
strip describing each phase of
a butterfly’s life cycle.
•Students added noodles for
visual effect.
Fill in the table to show what happens
during each stage.
Egg
Laid on plant
leaves and
stems
Caterpillar
hatches
in 5 days
Vary in size
Larvae
Pupa
Adult
Eats its
egg shell
Caterpillar shed
its skin one
last time
Emerges from
the chrysalis
after a few
weeks
Molts 5 times
After a few
weeks looks
for a place
to change
Caterpillar stays
inside
a hard shell
or Chrysalis
Caterpillar
changes
into a butterfly
The butterfly
looks for a
mate and
lays eggs
Adult butterflies
live for only
2 weeks
• HABITAT
Butterflies are found all over the world and
in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry
and moist, at sea level and high in the
mountains. Most butterfly species, however,
are found in tropical areas, especially tropical
rainforests.
Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid
adverse environmental conditions (like cold
weather). Butterfly migration is not well
understood. Most migrate relatively short
distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red
Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a
few (like some Monarchs) migrate thousands
of miles.
•Monarch Habitats:
Monarchs are found all around the world
in sub-tropical to tropical areas. They are found
in open habitats including meadows, fields,
marshes, and cleared roadsides.
Create a Chrysalis and watch your
caterpillar change into a beautiful
Butterfly!
Activity
You will be responsible to complete
the activities on the web Quest for
Monarch Butterflies.
Web Quest