The Egg Stage

Female butterflies lay eggs on leaves of a particular plant called a host plant. Each species of butterfly has its own host plant that, when eaten by its caterpillar, will enable the caterpillar to grow and thrive.

To the human eye, eggs appear to be nothing more than small dots however the eggs vary quite a lot in their shape, surface decoration, colour and size. Caterpillars grow inside the eggs and hatch after a few days. Caterpillars hatch by eating out of their shell.