Page 52 - ICSE Science 3 : E-book

ACTIVITY TIME

Make a list of insects that you fi nd in your surroundings and write your observations
related to those insects in the following table.

Name of the insect Habitat (place where they Features (size, shape and
live) colour)
1.

2.

3.

4.

Life Cycle of an Insect

The series of changes through which a living thing passes during its lifetime
is called its life cycle. The life cycle of an insect begins with an egg which then

hatches into a larva. Gradually, it develops into an adult. Some insects have four
stages in their life cycle while some have only three. Let’s know about the life cycle

of a butterfl y that passes through four stages—egg, larva, pupa and adult.

Life cycle of a butterfl y

caterpillar
• An adult butterfl y lays eggs on the leaves
of plants.

• The eggs hatch and larvae (singular

larva) come out. They are also known as
caterpillars. They eat a lot of leaves and pupa

grow in size. The caterpillars shed their old eggs
skin several times while they grow.

• Once fully grown, the caterpillars form a adult butterfl y

hard case around themselves and become Life cycle of a butterfl y

pupae (singular pupa). Inside the hard case,
the pupae undergo a series of changes. Did You Know!
The insects that have three
• After few days, the hard case opens and stages in their life cycle lack

adult butterfl ies come out. the pupa stage.

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