Joey DeVito, age 12, of Mundelein, Illinois for his question:

Do caterpillars really become butterflies?

In early summer, a certain zebra striped caterpillar may be found dining on milkweed leaves. He bears no resemblance at all to a beauteous brawn and orange monarch butterfly. Yet this is his destiny. The caterpillar devours enough food for a lifetime, then changes into a green pupa. Inside the crisp shell, his body is remodeled completely and he or she emerges as an adult winged monarch. This kind of biological happening is one of nature's miracles.

All insects start life as eggs and many of them develop through several dramatic stages. The butterflies and moths belong in the order Lepidoptera    a term that refers to the powdery scales on the wings of the adults. Their newly hatched larvae are caterpillars. One might never guess that the caterpillars are remotely related to their velvety winged parents.

For example, an adult tiger swallowtail has large graceful wings, splashed with yellows, bordered with bluish greys and rows of multicolored dots. Isis body is in three clearly defined sections and his six legs are attached to the center, thorax section. Ile has a pair of slender antennas, compound eyes and syphon type mouth parts for sipping liquids. But that gorgeous creature was not always thus. He spent several hungry weeks of his life as a caterpillar.

This unrecognizable character's body was just one long green segmented tube. On his shoulders, he wore a couple of circles that resembled oversized eyes. Actually they were merely camouflage to fool his foes and the caterpillar did not have elaborate compound eyes like his parents. His mouth parts were made for munching.

The caterpillar's body suited his life style, at least until he had gorged enough solid food to last the rest of his life. Then hormones that govern biological growth and development triggered some changes. Our caterpillar grew a crisp case around his body and became a pupa. He spun a short silken rope to attach himself to a cherry twig    and appeared to sink into a deep sleep.

But oh, no, the little body in the pupa case was not asleep. The hormones that govern his development were organizing a complete biological remodeling job. The cells that made his former caterpillar parts separated and mixed together in a soupy liquid. As the change called metamorphosis progressed, the cells were rearranged completely    to form the body of an adult tiger swallowtail butterfly.

When the mysterious miracle was complete, the new model was ready to crack open his pupa shell and emerge. At first he was a pale and helpless creature with drooping wings. In about 20 minutes the sunny air dried his wings. It took about two hours for his wings to show their full gorgeous colors. This miracle of complete metamorphosis happens in the life of every butterfly.