19 Amazing Before and After Pictures of Butterfly Transformations
Butterfly transformations are some of the most striking changes in nature, and the before-and-after contrast can be almost unbelievable. A caterpillar can look like a completely different creature once it reaches its final form, which is part of why these insects keep showing up in conversations about beauty, change, and metamorphosis.
This gallery highlights 19 butterfly and moth species in their earlier and later stages, with each pair showing just how dramatic the shift can be. Some are fuzzy, spiky, or oddly shaped at first, then become delicate and colorful in the end.
Scroll through the photos and see which transformation stands out most.
1. Acharia Stimulea Before
Acharia Stimulea After
2. Acraga Coa Before
Acraga Coa After
3. Attacus Atlas Before
Attacus Atlas After
4. Black Swallowtail Before
Black Swallowtail After
5. Blue Morpho Before
Blue Morpho After
6. Brahmin Moth Before
Brahmin Moth After
7. Cecropia Before
Cecropia After
8. Cerura Vinula Before
Cerura Vinula After
Want more insect close-ups like the ones in this macro-lens photo set from a Belgian natural photographer?
9. Flannel Moth Before
Flannel Moth After
10. Glass Winged Butterfly Before
Glass Winged Butterfly After
11. Hubbard’s Small Silkmoth Before
Hubbard’s Small Silkmoth After
12. Lo Moth Before
Lo Moth After
13. Lsa Textula Before
Lsa Textula After
14. Isochaetes Beutenmuelleri Before
Isochaetes Beutenmuelleri After
15. Phobetron Pithecium Before
Phobetron Pithecium After
16. Pipevine Swallowtail Before
Pipevine Swallowtail After
17. Polyura Sempronius Before
18. Spicebush Swallowtail Before
Spicebush Swallowtail After
19. Spotted Apatelodes Before
Spotted Apatelodes After
So, what do you think? Are caterpillars ugly or a marvelous feat of nature’s engineering?
Either way, the transformation is hard to ignore.
Those “angry snakes” turned out to be Atlas moths, see the disguise in action here.
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