![]()  | 
| You might also like: | Butterfly Adult | Butterfly Larva | Butterfly Egg | Butterfly Life Cycle | Today's featured page: Vulture Printout | 
Table of Contents  | 
    Enchanted Learning ALL ABOUT BUTTERFLIES!  | 
Butterfly Calendar  | 
| What is a Butterfly? | Life Cycle | Butterfly Anatomy | Information Sheets | Glossary | Printables and Activities | 
| Butterfly Life Cycle | 
| Life Cycle Summary | The Egg | Larva (Caterpillar) | Pupa | Adult | 
The pupa is the stage in a butterfly's (or moth's) life when it is encased in a chrysalis and undergoing metamorphosis. It does not eat during this stage.
The pupa stage lasts from a few days to many months (some butterflies overwinter in the pupa stage, and the adult emerges in the spring).
BUTTERFLIES
The pupa of a butterfly is called a chrysalis (derived from the Greek word for gold).  The chrysalis of many butterflies (like the Nymphalidae and Satyridae families) are suspended from a silk pad and abdominal hooks.  Others (like like swallowtails and sulphurs) also have a silk girdle supporting their mid-section.  About a day before the adult butterfly emerges, the chrysalis of many species (including the monarch) becomes transparent.
MOTHS
Some moths spin a silk cocoon which protects the pupa.  Some moth larva tunnel into the ground up to several inches where it will pupate.  
A cremaster is a support hook (or a cluster of small hooks) at the abdominal (hind) end of a pupa.
Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below
| 
Overview of Site What's New Enchanted Learning Home Monthly Activity Calendar Books to Print Site Index K-3 Crafts K-3 Themes Little Explorers Picture dictionary PreK/K Activities Rebus Rhymes Stories Writing Cloze Activities Essay Topics Newspaper Writing Activities Parts of Speech Fiction The Test of Time 
  | 
Biology Animal Printouts Biology Label Printouts Biomes Birds Butterflies Dinosaurs Food Chain Human Anatomy Mammals Plants Rainforests Sharks Whales Physical Sciences: K-12 Astronomy The Earth Geology Hurricanes Landforms Oceans Tsunami Volcano  | 
Languages Dutch French German Italian Japanese (Romaji) Portuguese Spanish Swedish Geography/History Explorers Flags Geography Inventors US History Other Topics Art and Artists Calendars College Finder Crafts Graphic Organizers Label Me! Printouts Math Music Word Wheels  | 
Click to read our Privacy Policy
| Search the Enchanted Learning website for: |