What Put the Fly in the Butterfly?

Illustration of a butterfly.

Written by Elizabeth Davis, Julie Spector, Danielle Halwick, Laura Vish, and Janis Bellow from the Runkle School in Brookline, MA

Illustrated by Greg Lidrbauch
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Dedicated to the students at the John D. Runkle school in Brookline, Massachusetts.

 

 

Special thanks to the Massachusetts Department of Education whose funding supported teachers and parents in the development of this story.   © CAST, 2006

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Illustration of a butterfly.
Did you ever wonder what put the fly in the butterfly?
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Illustration of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Let’s find out about the life cycle of the butterfly.
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Did you know a butterfly was first an egg?

Illustration of a butterfly laying eggs.
 
 
 
A butterfly lays many eggs on plant leaves.
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Did you know that caterpillars hatch from these egg after about 5 days?

Illustration of a caterpillar hatching from its egg.

 

 

Each caterpillar nibbles its way out of the eggshell.

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Did you know that a caterpillar eats and eats and eats?

Illustration of a caterpillar eating leaves.
 
 
 
The caterpillar eats many leaves to help it grow.
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Did you know that the caterpillar grows and grows and grows?
Illustration of a caterpillar growing.
 
 
 
 
Each time the caterpillar grows, it needs to shed its skin. This is called molting.
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Did you know that when the caterpillar is done molting it is ready to change?

 

Illustration of a caterpillar becoming a pupa.
 
 
The caterpillar becomes a pupa when it forms a shell around itself called a chrysalis. The chrysalis is like a house and keeps the pupa safe.
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Did you know that inside the chrysalis the pupa is changing into a butterfly? Metamorphosis!

Illustration of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly inside its pupa.
 
 
 
 
This change takes about 2 weeks.
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Did you know that when a fully grown butterfly emerges from the chrysalis it cannot fly?

Illustration of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
 
 
 
 
Before a butterfly can fly, its wings need to dry.
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Did you know that once the wings are dry, the butterfly can fly?

Illustration of a butterfly.
 
 
 
That’s what put the fly in the butterfly.
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The End!
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