The diagram illustrates the lifecycle of a butterfly, showing the main stages of development from egg to an adult.
Overall, the butterfly undergoes a full metamorphosis which consists of four main stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This cyclical process takes approximately twelve months and repeats itself once the adult reproduces.
At the beginning of the cycle, eggs are laid by an adult female on the surface of a milkwood leaf. After a period of time, around five to ten days, the eggs are hatched into a larva, colloquially knowns as a caterpillar. In the larva stage, the caterpillar feeds on leaves and grows rapidly. During this period, it moults its skin several times as it increases in size.
In the following stage, the larva is transformed into a pupa in a cocoon step where significant internal changes take place. After roughly two to three weeks, an adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. At the final phase, our creature is mature and capable of reproduction. Thereafter, the life cycle continues with the laying of new eggs again.