The life cycle of the butterfly is something of marvel. The drastic change in the butterfly's appearance and habits is known as metamorphosis . The first stage is known as the egg stage. The female butterfly lays its eggs singly or in clusters on or near the plants which the young will use as food.
Eggs are of many sizes, shapes, and colors.
They can be found on the undersides of leaves, on stems, and sometimes on old logs and stumps. The eggs of certain butterflies hatch in a few days or weeks, but others may require months to hatch. The larval, or caterpillar, stage follows the egg stage. Caterpillars are as different as from each other as their adult forms are different from other adult forms. Some can be smooth and naked, others have dense hairy coats of many different colors.