life cycle page

We found this egg on our Wisteria vine and decided to raise it to see what it would turn into. It turned
out to be some kind of looper moth. This is a fun way to play scientist at home. It's like being a nature
detective. If anyone can help us positively identify this species, feel free to contact us and we will give
you credit on this page for your help.

All photographs on this site are copyright protected. For permission to use any
photo, please contact Judy Burris at admin@butterflynature.com

Life Cycles

Click on photos to enlarge

< Here is the life cycle
of a lady bug. The
eggs are found in a
small group stuck to the
underside of a leaf.
The larva form eats
other small insects.
They especially love to
eat aphids (so does the
adult lady bug), so they
are considered to be
beneficial insects.

Pupa

Eggs

This is a duskywing
butterfly egg found on
our false indigo plant.
The egg is white and
turns orange as it
matures. The
caterpillar secretes
silk strands to sew a
leaf together to hide
in as it eats.

caterpillar

chrysalis

Here is the life cycle of the hackberry emperor butterfly. The caterpillars eat the leaves of
hackberry trees. The eggs are found in large clusters on the underside of a leaf. In a few
days they hatch into tiny green caterpillars with white stripes. The larger caterpillars have
horns on their head and a forked tail. Notice in the second chrysalis picture above that you
can see the butterfly wings showing through just moments before the adult emerges.

Here is most of the life cycle of the sleepy orange butterfly.
Ooops....we forgot to take pictures of the caterpillar eating
leaves from our senna (cassia) plant. Other sulphur butterfly
caterpillars eat this same plant.

Chrysalis

new butterfly - wings are wet

Egg

close-up of the sticky feet

These photos are of the eggs and caterpillars of the Imperial Moth.

Larva

Pre-pupa

older pupa