All About Butterflies

Written by: Anna Pafenberg

Butterflies are phenomenal pictures found all over the world. They help keep ecosystems thriving with their pollination techniques and colorful wing patterns. There are over 17,500 species of butterflies all over the world and they have a unique life cycle like no other animal.

Early Development

Butterflies start as a tiny little egg usually on a leaf or a plant. Inside this egg is a tiny caterpillar, but how does it turn into a beautiful butterfly? First the caterpillar hatches from its egg when it’s warm after a few weeks. Now the caterpillar lives outside! They eat the egg they hatched from and then start to munch on the plant they were developing on. 

After a while of eating and shedding its skin multiple times, caterpillars form into a pupa, or a hard shell they will spend a few weeks in. They needed to have eaten a lot of food to sustain them through their metamorphosis. This pupa protects the growing caterpillar from predators and their environment. Soon, the caterpillar will erupt from its pupa to reveal a beautiful butterfly! At first, the butterfly’s wings are too wet to fly, so it spends time drying them. The butterfly also produces a liquid called hemolymph to make its wings stronger. After this, the butterfly life cycle is complete! The butterfly will now find a place to lay new eggs and start the cycle over.

Different Species

A special species of butterfly called the Monarch Butterfly does something special, it migrates to a new place! Here in Northern California, these butterflies are very common. Monarchs migrate to northern Mexico and other parts of California. Monarchs lay their eggs on a special plant called milkweed. This is the only plant they will do this on, but unfortunately, humans have started to get rid of it in urban spaces, making it hard for them to lay their eggs. Monarchs also have a way of fighting off predators. They are poisonous!

All in all, butterflies are an amazing insect with a pretty cool story. Unfortunately, certain species like Monarchs are becoming endangered. You can help butterflies by planting plants in your yard that they and other pollinators like. Native plants are a great substitute for grass in your yard. By helping these insects, you can make the world a healthier place for all animals and keep the species going as well as help the food chain.