The life of insects is much shorter than ours. They go through lots of stages. They see the world from different views.
Butterflies are colourful and beautiful. But they start life as something very different. The butterfly has an amazing life cycle. Its change is called metamorphosis.
It starts life as an egg. The female butterfly lays its egg on a plant. The egg stays on the plant for a few weeks, or until the weather is warm enough. Then, it is time for the egg to hatch.
Out of the egg comes the larva. The larva of a butterfly is called a caterpillar. Many larvae hatch at the same time.
When it is fully grown, it forms itself into a pupa. The pupa hangs from a tree or plant in a safe place. It is in the pupa that the larva turns into a butterfly.
The pupa takes weeks or months to transform. The outside of the pupa is hard to protect from cold weather and predators. When it is fully formed, out comes the butterfly.
When its wings are dry, it flies off to look for flowers and other butterflies. Its transformation is complete.
Moths go through a similar change to butterflies. Instead of building a pupa, they build a cocoon. They stay in the cocoon for around 21 days.
Dragonflies lay their eggs in the water. When young dragonflies hatch from their eggs, they are called nymphs. A nymph is the young stage of the insect.
They live in water. They stay in water for months. They breathe underwater like a fish.
After a few months, they leave the water. They can't fly yet, so life is dangerous.
Their bodies must get ready for flight. After some time, they can use their two sets of wings to fly well. They have strong wings. They can fly in any direction.
Insects have amazing life cycles. Next time you see a butterfly, remember the journey it has taken!