Butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis in which they go through four different life stages. Egg – A butterfly starts its life as an egg. Larva – The larva (caterpillar) hatches from an egg and eats leaves or flowers almost constantly. The caterpillar molts (loses its old skin) many times as it grows.
What are the stages of the life cycle of a monarch butterfly?
The four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle are the egg, the larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during one year until it is time to start over again with stage one and generation one.