Egg

Each egg is surrounded by a hard outer shell, called the chorion.

The shell is lined with a layer of wax, which keeps the egg from drying out. The raised areas on an egg are called ridges.

Caterpillar

All insects have 3 body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.

The head has 6 pairs (12) of very simple eyes, called ocelli, but even with all these eyes, their eyesight is still very poor.

The tentacles at the front and rear ends of the caterpillar are not antennae, but they work to help the caterpillars to feel their surrondings.

Caterpillars have 3 pairs (6) of true legs and 5 pairs (10) of prolegs.

Caterpillars breathe through holes on the side of their bodies called spiracles.

Chrysalis

The cremaster is used to attach the end of the chrysalis to the silk pad.

The silk pad was spun by the caterpillar and it will hang from the pad until it emerges as a butterfly.

Chrysalis vs cocoon

A butterfly caterpillar sheds it’s skin and turns into a chrysalis.

A butterfly’s pupa is called a chrysalis.

A moth caterpillar makes a cocoon, which is made out of silk and the pupa is inside of the cocoon.

Butterfly

The head includes:

the eyes, antennae, and proboscis.

A butterfly’s compound eyes are made up of thousands of ommatidia, each of which senses light and images.

The 2 antennae sense molecules in the air and gives butterflies a sense of smell.

The proboscis is like a straw and sucks up nectar and water for nourishment.

Monarchs look like they only have 4 legs

because the other 2 are curled up in the front.

All butterflies have 4 wings,

2 forewings and 2 hind wings.

The abdomen is hidden between the hindwings.

Male vs female

Male

Female

Clasper

If it has black dots on the bottom of it’s wings, then it is male.

If it doesn’t have any black dots, then it is female.

If you see a clasper at the end of abdomen, then it is male.

If you see a notch at the end of abdomen, then it is female.