The Butterfly Stage:

After about a week the chrysalis splits open and the butterfly emerges. The butterfly hangs from the chrysalis for an hour or so to let its wings straighten out from being crumpled inside the chrysalis. When hatched, fluid called melatonin fills out the wings. A butterfly has a head, thorax, and abdomen. It has four wings attached to the thorax. It has six legs attached to the thorax, but only four are used. The first two legs are kept folded up close to the head. The butterfly has two compound eyes which have 10,000 lenses. The butterfly’s proboscis (tongue) is split when hatched. It uses its two front legs to join the proboscis together. The proboscis is a hollow tube like a drinking straw. Its antennae is slender with a knob on the end and is used for hearing. It tastes through its feet. The butterfly breathes through its sides because it doesn’t have any lungs. A butterfly cannot bite or chew; it only drinks nectar.