[Upbeat jingle plays]

First, the butterfly starts as a very small egg

laid on the leaf of a milkweed plant.

About 4 days later a caterpillar is hatched and goes straight to work

eating milkweed in order to grow.

For 2 weeks the caterpillar eats and eats

then it shimmies, shakes and sheds its skin twice as it continues to grow.

Once fully grown the caterpillar attaches itself to a twig or leaf

then it begins the process of metamorphosis.

Unlike a silkworm that spins a cocoon

the Monarch caterpillar sheds its skin one final time

revealing a hard shell known as the chrysalis.

Although it may look as though nothing is happening,

during this 10-day chrysalis phase

major changes are taking place that result in a fully grown butterfly.

Once the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis,

it only lives for a few months.

This gives it just enough time to fly, mate and produce another egg.

The entire cycle from egg to adult takes about 30 days.

And that's the life cycle of the Monarch caterpillar.