Butterfly Life Cycle:
Pupal Stage

Photos by Susan Borkin

Butterfly larvae attach themselves to a firm surface and shed their skin one last time to reveal a naked pupa, or chrysalis;. Many moth larvae spin a cocoon that surrounds the naked pupa or burrow into the ground and pupate. No feeding occurs during the pupal stage. Unless the species overwinters as a pupa, the complex reorganization of its muscles and organs usually occurs within one to two weeks. Several hormones - which can be triggered by seasonal day length - orchestrate this series of transformations through mechanisms that are now fairly well understood.

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