The process by which a caterpillar changes into a butterfly is known as metamorphosis. There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly: eggs are laid on leaves (where they almost ‘stick’ to the leaf) and hatch into larvae or caterpillars.
The caterpillar’s aim is to eat, shedding its skin as it grows; each caterpillar has 5 stages called instars, with each stage separated by a moulting. A caterpillar’s weight will increase by 100 times in 3-4 weeks – no wonder Eric Carle wrote about ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’!
Once the caterpillar has grown sufficiently, it forms itself into a pupa (chyrsalis). It may look as though nothing is happening at this stage, but the caterpillar is rapidly changing inside this ‘sac’; within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation (‘metamorphosis’), with the tissue, limbs and organs all changing. The final stage is when the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, looking completely different!
In preparation for the Family Fun Day on 20th February when we will be looking at the life cycle of butterflies and the theme of new life and transformation, we spent some time yesterday at the Butterfly House in Sheffield, where many different kinds of butterflies could be seen.
There are even sculptures of butterflies to admire!
Come along to the fun day between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday 20th February to find out more about caterpillars, butterflies and transformation… and how God can bring this same transformation into our lives as we are born again, transformed from sinners who cannot be in the presence of a holy God to children of God who are welcomed into His presence and in whom His Spirit lives!