Butterflies life cycle

The life-cycle of a butterfly (and moth for that matter) is a remarkable series of changes between seemingly very different forms culminating in the emergence of a butterfly. Throughout nature there are fantastic and fascinating occurrences of many kinds. The metamorphosis of an egg to a butterfly is just one of those wonders.

The following series of pages outlines the process from start to finish. There is also a one page short version available featuring the Zebra, Heliconius charitonius.

The story starts with a pair of butterflies mating. This enables the females eggs to be fertilised. Like many other species in nature there is often a courtship routine preceding the actual mating. Some butterflies fly in spirals, sometimes the female lies with her wings in a certain position.

The purpose of any courtship routine (humans included!) is to discover the suitability of the potential mate. Part of this process is to discover if the female is already fertilised (pregnant might be a human parallel), the female can release a pheromone (chemical) which will show her unavailability, or just not follow the usual mating routine.

Once it is established that the pairing is suitable mating takes place. See the picture left for a typical example. The butterflies stay coupled for a period of time. Sometimes a short time sometimes longer. It is not unusual for the pair to fly while still coupled.