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

The world of a butterfly

A chrysalis

Within hours, the larva has become a chrysalis. Inside this hard protective coating, the larva’s body structures will be broken down and reformed into those of an adult butterfly. For the eastern black swallowtail, this metamorphosis will take 7 to 10 days, but some species take much longer.

Photograph by Kathryn Walbert

butterfly chrysalis

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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