Metamorphosis is a Greek word means transformation/change in shape.
There are two common types of metamorphosis (complete & incomplete) that insects develop through.
Crickets, Grasshoppers, dragonflies and cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis. The young is called a nymph that usually looks like adult but smaller and without the wings. Butterflies, moths, bees, flies and beetles have complete metamorphosis. The young is called a larva instead of a nymph is different from the adults and eats different types of food too.
Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis in four different life stages.
1) Egg
Eggs are laid on plants by the adult female butterfly. These plants will then become the food for the hatching caterpillars. It is called the host plant of the butterfly.
2) Larva – The Feeding Stage
The larva (caterpillar) hatches from an egg and eats leaves or flowers almost constantly. The caterpillar molts as many as 4 to 5 times (usually) as it grows. They can grow up to 100 times their size during this stage.
3) Pupa – The Transition Stage.
When the caterpillar is fully grown and stops eating, it changes to a pupa. The pupa of butterflies is called chrysalis. It may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside. The cells in the pupa are now growing rapidly, forming the legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the adult butterfly.
4) Adult – The Reproductive Stage
The adult stage is what most people think of about butterfly. The adults have long antennae, long legs, compound eyes, and wings that allow them to fly far to search for food, mate and host plant.