will you proof-read this essay that is due tomorrow evening PLEASE?!

The Complete Metamorphosis of a Monarch Butterfly

It’s weird to think that a beautiful Monarch butterfly was once a tiny little egg stuck to a leaf. Monarch butterflies go through many stages to become actual butterflies. There are four stages that a Monarch butterfly goes through within it’s life cycle; the egg stage, larva stage, pupa stage and adult stage. Butterflies go through a complete metamorphosis. Although Monarch butterflies only have a life lasting approximately nine months at the most, the stages within their life cycle are fascinating.
The first stage of a monarch butterfly’s life is the egg stage. The egg is laid on the under surface of a Milkweed leaf by the mother Monarch butterfly. The mother Monarch butterfly chooses to lay her eggs on Milkweed plants because “the poison found in Milkweed plants provides a lifetime of protection from predators without harming the Monarch larva or adult” (Martin). The Milkweed plant also serves as the main food source for the caterpillar. Usually only one egg is laid on each Milkweed leaf.
The egg that the Monarch butterfly lays has a thin, tough shell with raised ribs. There is a micropyle at the top of each egg, which is a small pit that marks where the sperm entered the egg. While the egg is developing, air and water enter the egg through the micropyle. Within the egg there is yolk. The yolk is what nourishes the developing larva. It takes three to five days for the egg to hatch.
Once the egg is ready to hatch, the larva bites open the egg shell with its jaws. The larval stage of a butterfly is right after the egg stage. It is the second stage of metamorphosis. This stage takes approximately 14 days. Once the larva, also known as the caterpillar, emerges out of the egg, it usually eats it’s egg case as it’s first meal. At the larval stage it is impossible to tell whether the caterpillar is a female or male. The larval stage is the main feeding stage of the Monarch butterfly. The caterpillar will eat nearly all the time and grow extremely fast within a short amount of time.
Caterpillars are very picky pertaining to what they eat. They usually only eat the leaves off of the plant that their mother laid them on. Since caterpillars feed on the plant which they were hatched on, the Monarch caterpillar feeds on the Milkweed plant. By feeding on the Milkweed plant, which is poisonous, the caterpillar is unknowingly storing the plants toxins within it’s body. The poisonous chemical from the Milkweed plant stays in the body of the caterpillar for the rest of it’s life.
As the caterpillar grows, it molts four to five times. For a caterpillar to be able to molt, it’s exoskeleton becomes too tight. Once the exoskeleton is too tight it molts, losing the old exoskeleton. After molting, the new skin of the caterpillar is soft. By ingesting air, the caterpillar’s body expands. Soon, the cuticle hardens, causing the air to be let out and provide room for growth. The caterpillar repeats the molting until the larval growth has finished.
When the caterpillar has turned it’s right size, the larval growth has finished and it is ready to pupate. Once the larval growth has finished, the caterpillar stops eating and empties it’s digestive system. The caterpillar then looks for a safe, sheltered spot where it will pupate. It will usually attach itself to a twig or leaf. The caterpillar attaches itself to a twig or leaf with a silken girdle. A pre-pupal “J” is formed by the caterpillar before it splits open and sheds it‘s skin for the last time, becoming a pupa.
Following the larval stage is the pupa stage. The pupa stage can last anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on the time of year. For example, if the pupa stage starts in the winter, the Monarch butterfly will not emerge until the spring. The pupa is the stage in a butterfly’s life when it is enclosed within a chrysalis. A chrysalis is widely known as a cocoon. The cocoon of the Monarch butterfly is suspended from a silk pad and abdominal hooks. The butterfly is formed upside down. To the human eye it doesn’t seem like anything is actually going on within the cocoon but in fact the most important stage is taking place; the caterpillar is becoming a butterfly. About a day before the adult Monarch butterfly will emerge, the cocoon becomes transparent.
The final stage of a Monarch butterfly’s life cycle is the adult stage. During the adult stage the butterfly breaks through it’s cocoon, able to fly free. The Monarch butterfly usually will emerge out of it’s cocoon in the morning hours before noon. The initial emergence is very quick. Once the shell breaks open at the bottom, the butterfly quickly clings onto the shell, hanging upside down. As the adult butterfly comes out of the cocoon, a reddish fluid usually excretes (“The Life Cycle of a Butterfly” ).
When the butterfly is coming out of the cocoon it’s wings are very small. The abdomen is a lot bigger than the wings at first because of all of the bodily fluid that is enclosed within the abdomen. Within seconds the fluids from the abdomen seep out into the wings of the butterfly, enlarging the wings. While the wings are drying the butterfly cannot fall off of the cocoon that it is hanging on. If the butterfly falls off the cocoon while the wings are drying, the wings will be bent permanently, preventing the butterfly to ever be able to fly. After about two hours the wings are fully dry, and the Monarch butterfly is able to fly away (“The Life Cycle of a Butterfly”).
The four stages that the Monarch butterfly goes through to become an actual butterfly are very interesting. I find it so fascinating that a living thing can transform from crawling on the leaves one moment to actually flying through the leaves the next moment. Going through the complete metamorphosis involves patience and time, but like President Abraham Lincoln said, “Good things come to those who wait…”.

Works Cited

"The Life Cycle of a Butterfly." Enchanted Learning. 24 Sept. 2006 <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/lifecycle/>;.

Martin, Sarah. "Monarch Butterflies." 24 Sept. 2006 <http://www.martinsetc.com/id307.htm>;.