lifespan of a butterfly
Lifespan of a Butterfly
The lifespan of a butterfly varies according to the species. Read this article to learn about the different facts related to its lifespan.
- The shortest lifespan for a butterfly species, which is just few days, is of the copper butterfly and the small blue butterfly.
- The average lifespan of a painted lady butterfly is just 2 weeks, wherein the eggs stage will be for 3-5 days, the caterpillar stage will be for 5-10 days, then pupa will last for 7-10 days, and after 2 weeks is the adult stage.
- The longest lifespan is of a monarch butterfly. It is considered to be up to 12 months.
- Many factors affect the total lifespan of a species of a butterfly. These are factors like local weather conditions, latitude, and time of the year.
- During the adult stage, most species of butterfly tend to live for a week or two.
- One interesting fact about butterflies is that the female lives for a few days longer than the male.
- The total life span of a butterfly means considering the time spent in the caterpillar and pupa stage plus the adult stage.
- Number of flights taken by a species for migration also affect the total life span of a butterfly.
- If a species takes two flights, then two generations will emerge. For example, if there are two flights during the months of May to September, then one generation will appear from the pupa stage during spring and another generation during summer.
- The real months of emergence depend on latitude, which is because the two generations will have their own strategies for passing through the winter months.
- Many northern species of butterflies only have a single flight annually, and have a total life span of around a year. Some arctic butterflies have a life cycle lasting for 2 years due to a short growing season and scarcity of good quality of food required during the larva stage.