I Am a Transformer

Life is full of real transformers. They change their form—and how they look—following a biological plan.

Butterflies

Life is full of real transformers. They change their form—and how they look—following a biological plan. A butterfly is a real transformer. Its life cycle is a biological plan with four stages.

• First, there’s an egg that is laid on a leaf near butterfly food. It isn’t an egg for long.
• Second, the egg hatches. Larvae come out. Larvae look like insects, with six legs and tiny hairs on the side. They eat and grow for about twenty-one days. Then they begin to change.
• The third stage is a pupa (also called a chrysalis or cocoon). This is the transformation stage. On the outside, a cocoon looks still. It’s silent. On the inside, a lot is happening. The caterpillar is changing into a butterfly.
• The fourth stage is the adult butterfly. Many butterflies have colorful wings. They can fly. They lay eggs, near food, that grow into caterpillars, and then cocoons, to become butterflies.

FROGS

A frog is a real transformer. Its life cycle is a biological plan with three stages.

• First, there’s an egg that is laid in the water and covered with special jelly. It isn’t an egg for long.
• Second, the egg hatches. It’s a tadpole! Sometimes, tadpoles are called polliwogs. Tadpoles eat and grow in the water. The top of the pond often looks still and silent. Under the water, a lot is happening. The tadpoles grow back legs, then front legs, and their tails shrink.
• The third stage is a frog. People often think of frogs as green. A frog may be other colors, too. Some frogs change colors. Frogs lay eggs that grow into tadpoles, to become frogs.

Some of the changes around us are transformations that follow a plan, over and over again. They are quiet transformations that are an important part of Life on Planet Earth.