Life Among the Butterflies

by Vance Randolph

THE SECOND OR LARVAL STAGE

Most butterfly eggs hatch within a week or two, producing worm-like larvae called caterpillars, which differ in appearance according to the species, but whose general characteristics are well known. The principal business of a caterpillar is to eat; no sooner has it emerged from the egg than it devours the egg-shell, and then sets to work on the leaves of the food plant. Its growth is so rapid that the outer skin must soon be shed, and this shedding process is known as moulting. Most caterpillars moult about four times. The caterpillar stage usually lasts only a month or so, but there are a few species which hibernate and spend the winter as caterpillars.

Fig. II.—The Viceroy (Basilarchia disippus), an example of the family Nymphalidae, or four-footed butterflies. This is the butterfly that mimics the Monarch; see section on Protective Mimicry. A, egg; B, caterpillar; C, chrysalis; D, imago.