Life Cycle of a Butterfly Diagram
Free printable life cycle of a butterfly diagram — a labeled illustration of the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly stages. Download a high-resolution PDF or PNG for Letter paper.
The four stages of a butterfly's life
A butterfly goes through four stages as it grows, a process called metamorphosis. Here is what happens at each labeled part of the diagram:
| Stage | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | A tiny egg is laid on a leaf. | The leaf the egg is laid on is not random — the mother butterfly chooses a plant her caterpillar can actually eat, so the first meal is waiting the moment the egg hatches. If she picks the wrong plant, the larva starves before it ever has a chance to grow. |
| Caterpillar | The egg hatches into a caterpillar (larva) that eats leaves and grows quickly. | Caterpillars can increase their body weight by as much as 100 times during this stage, storing all the energy and raw materials the body will need to fuel the transformation ahead. Skip this stage and there is simply nothing to build a butterfly from. |
| Chrysalis | The caterpillar forms a chrysalis (pupa) and changes completely inside. | Inside the chrysalis, most of the caterpillar's body actually dissolves into a kind of living soup, and from that soup an entirely new body — wings, antennae, compound eyes — assembles itself. No other process in nature rebuilds a living animal so completely from scratch. |
| Butterfly | An adult butterfly emerges, ready to fly and lay new eggs — starting the cycle again. | Adult butterflies often cannot eat solid food at all; their only job is to find a mate and lay eggs before their short lives end. By starting the cycle over, they ensure the next generation has the same chance to transform. |
Companion worksheet
A free fill-in worksheet with an answer key, built from the labels above — students match each stage to its description, then answer a couple of short questions. Great for a quick check after using the diagram.
How to print
Choose Download PDF for a ready-to-print file that fits US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape, or Download PNG for the high-resolution image.
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of a butterfly life cycle?
The four stages are the egg, the caterpillar (larva), the chrysalis (pupa) and the adult butterfly.
What is metamorphosis?
Metamorphosis is the big change in body shape an animal like a butterfly goes through as it grows from an egg into an adult.
What paper size should I print this on?
The diagram is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11") in landscape orientation. Use "Download PDF" for a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.