Butterfly
The life cycle of a butterfly is the epitome of complete metamorphosis, consisting of four distinct stages:
🥚 1. Egg
Where? Eggs, containing a developing larva (caterpillar), are laid on leaves or stems of host plants that serve as food for the hungry larvae.
Appearance: Tiny, round or oval, sometimes ribbed or with a pattern.
Duration: A few days to a week, depending on the species and temperature.
🐛 2. Larva (Caterpillar)
Main Goal: Eat voraciously to grow rapidly, feeding mainly on the leaves of the host plant
Moulting: As the caterpillar grows, it sheds its skin several times (called instars).
Duration: Usually a few weeks.
End Goal: Prepare for transformation into a pupa.
🐚 3. Pupa (Chrysalis)
This happens when the caterpillar forms a protective casing around itself. Often appearing still and vulnerable, a major transformation is occurring inside it, as the body completely reorganises the organs, wings, and legs in a process called histogenesis.
Duration: Varies from days to months (some species overwinter in this stage).
🦋 4. Adult Butterfly
Wing Expansion: Within a short period of a few minutes to an hour, a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis with soft, folded wings. Immediately, it starts pumping fluid into the wings to expand and harden them.
Main Goals: Find mates and reproduce.
Feeding: Nectar from flowers using a long, coiled tongue (proboscis).
Lifespan: A few weeks to several months, depending on species.
🔄 And then the cycle begins again...
This process, from egg to adult, is not just a transformation of form, but also a change of function and behaviour, making butterflies a symbol of change and rebirth in many cultures.
Comments
While the caterpillar’s body and brain do change significantly, some neural structures and circuits apparently persist through metamorphosis.
In a scientific study, on the chrysalises (or pupae) of Manduca sexta moth (tobacco hornworm), it was shown that they do retain some memory especially from learned behavior in their earlier life stages.
In one experiment, caterpillars were trained to avoid a specific odor by pairing it with a mild electric shock. After they pupated and emerged as adult moths, they still avoided that odor—even though their brains had undergone dramatic restructuring during metamorphosis.
Fascinating stuff
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320055/
- Kieran
And as always, extremely well done (A childhood friend on WhatsApp)
I liked how it turned out and it looks like you did too - Kieran
Where it happens:
The scene occurs at Marlinspike Hall, where Professor Cuthbert Calculus is seen enthusiastically talking about butterflies. At one point, he says:
"Did you know that the Lepidoptera...?"
This line is part of his usual absent-minded scientific chatter, and it's one of several humorous moments where Calculus goes off-topic or isn't fully aware of the gravity of the situation unfolding around him.
Courtesy: ChatGPT