Apr 29 2010
Butterfly Larva
Butterfly Larva on a Parsley plant
Butterfly larva are also known as caterpillars and they are the beginning stages of a butterfly’s life cycle. Butterfly larva hatch out from eggs that are laid on host plants by the adult butterfly. Butterflies are very particular about which plants they lay their eggs on. Some butterflies will only lay their eggs on a single type of plant. Luckily most are not so picky.
Butterfly larva are truly eating machines, their sole goal in this stage of their life is to eat a much of the host plant as they can. They also try to grow as large as they can and as fast as they can. They will sometimes eat the whole plant! If you plan on attracting butterflies to lay their eggs, then you had better prepare yourself, because the butterfly larva will definitely eat your plants.
Do not use any types of pesticides in your butterfly garden because it will kill the butterfly larva. The pesticides are made to kill the larva of pests , but it cannot tell the difference between a butterfly larva and the larva of a Japanese beetle.
In order to grow larger, the butterfly larva has to shed it’s skin each time it gets too large for it’s current skin. The butterfly larva will shed it’s skin 4 or 5 times during this part of it’s life. These periods between shedding are known as “instars”
In order to grow larger, the butterfly larva has to shed it’s skin each time it gets too large for it’s current skin. The butterfly larva will shed it’s skin 4 or 5 times during this part of it’s life. These periods between shedding are known as “instars”
Once the butterfly larva has reached it’s perfect size; it will shed it’s skin one last time, and turn itself into a chrysalis or cocoon. The butterfly larva will remain in this state for a few weeks,it is during this period that the butterfly larva becomes a full fledged butterfly.
When this period is over the newly hatched butterfly will emerge from it’s chrysalis and fly away in search of food and new host plants to lay it’s eggs on and the cycle will begin again.
Related butterfly garden posts:
- The Life Cycle of Butterflies The life cycle of a butterfly is such a wondrous...
- Butterfly’s Life Cycle A butterfly’s life cycle is a wondrous thing to see....
- Butterfly Caterpillars The butterfly caterpillars stage is a very important one in...
- Create a Butterfly Habitat It is an easy thing to create a butterfly habitat....
- Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are found all across the United States...
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