LEARN NC multimedia

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The world of a butterfly

Hanging on

Like all insects, butterfly and moth caterpillars have only six true legs — visible here just behind the larva’s head. The “prolegs” further back along its body aid in walking, but will disappear when the butterfly becomes an adult.

Photograph by Kathryn Walbert

Thanks to Richard Stickney, Butterfly Curator at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, for his help in developing this slideshow. The text of this page is copyright ©2009. All Rights Reserved. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print. | About the photograph