LEARN NC multimedia

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

The world of a butterfly

From plant to plant

As it grows, the larva is able to move easily from plant to plant in search of more food. It cannot go far, though, and so butterflies will lay their eggs only where there is enough food to support the caterpillar through its entire larval stage.

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