The diagram shows the life of the monarch butterfly, from egg to adult.
Overall, the butterfly experiences big changes in the four stages of its life. The process is cyclical and has four main stages.
The first stage, begins when eggs are laid by an adult monarch butterfly on a milkweed plant. After two weeks, the larva hatch and develop into a caterpillar. As the caterpillar grows, it eats the milkweed plant. When the caterpillar is big it attaches itself to the plant and creates a chrysalis which it uses to cover its body. The caterpillar stays here for ten days and transforms into the adult butterfly.
This pupal stage ends when the butterfly leaves the chrysalis. It is now adult and is able to fly, so it migrates south for a six month period. When it returns back north, it searches for a partner to reproduce. The two butterflies mate, and find another milkweed plant where they lay eggs. All of the process begins again.