Why do butterflies start as caterpillars?
Two Lives, One Bug
Why do butterflies start as caterpillars?
You've seen them: fat striped caterpillars munching leaves like tiny eating machines, and delicate butterflies sipping nectar with their curly tongues. They couldn't look more different. So why does every butterfly start life as a caterpillar? It's not a costume change — it's a survival strategy millions of years in the making.
The answer starts with a problem: what does a baby need, and what does an adult need? A butterfly needs to fly far, find flowers, and meet other butterflies to make eggs. But a baby that hatched with wings would be terrible at all those things — too small, too weak, too fragile. So nature split the job in two.
