Caterpillars, Butterflies

The Cocoon

I found a cocoon
That a caterpillar made,
Fastened to a leaf
Hanging in the shade.
He barely had room
To wiggle or wag,
Like me zipped up
In my sleeping bag.

I looked each time
That I passed his way,
But he never budged
Until just today.
Something happened!
He wagged and wiggled
And then climbed out
And carefully jiggled
Small wet wings
That grew as they dried.
He’d turned to a butterfly
Inside!


Birth of a Butterfly

(can be sung to the tune of Hush Little Baby, Don’t Say a Word)

A mama butterfly lays all her eggs,
Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs.

The caterpillar first is rather thin,
But then it eats till it bursts through its skin.

After growing nice and big,
The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig.

It makes a shell where it hangs inside.
The shell then cracks, and the parts divide.

Inside the shell, a change was going on,
The form of the caterpillar now is gone.

When the shell opens, what comes out?
A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Meish Goldish


Butterfly Cycle

(to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)

Hatch, hatch little egg,
I’m so very small.
Teeny tiny caterpillar,
You can’t see me at all.

Crawl, caterpillar, crawl,
Munching on a leaf.
Crawling, munching, crawling, munching,
Eat and eat and eat.

Form, form chrysalis,
I’m a different shape;
Hanging by a silken thread
Until I can escape.

Rest, rest, chrysalis
While I change inside;
Now at last my time has come
To be a butterfly.

Stretch, stretch, pretty wings,
It’s a special day;
Soon they will be strong enough
For me to fly away.

Fly, fly, butterfly,
Fly from flower to tree;
Find a place to lay my eggs
So they can grow like me.

© 2003 Suzy Gazlay
Used By Permission


Caterpillar Song

I started as a tiny egg
Upon a leaf of green
And now I stay upon the leaf
So I will not be seen

Soon I’ll build a chrysalis
Upon a limb up high
I’ll stay a while and then come out
And be a butterfly


The Butterfly song

(to the tune of “Up on the Housetop”)

First comes a butterfly and lays an egg,
Out comes a caterpillar with many legs,
Oh see the caterpillar spin and spin,
A little chrysalis to sleep in.

Oh, oh ,oh wait and see
oh oh oh wait and see
Out of the chrysalis,my oh my
out comes a pretty butterfly.


Caterpillar

Creepy crawly caterpillar
Looping up and down,
Furry tufts of hair along
Your back of golden brown.

You will soon be wrapped in silk,
Asleep for many a day;
And then, a handsome butterfly,
You’ll stretch and fly away.

Mary Dawson


The Caterpillar

Brown and furry
Caterpillar in a hurry;
Take your walk
To the shady leaf or stalk.

May no toad spy you,
May the little birds pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.

Christina Georgina Rosetti


Only My Opinion

Is a caterpillar ticklish?
Well, it’s my belief
That he giggles
As he wiggles
Across a hairy leaf!

Monica Shannon


Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar
         in the garden creeps.
He spins himself a blanket
         and soon falls fast asleep.

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar
         wakes up by and by
To find he has wings of beauty,
         changed to a butterfly.


The Fuzzy Caterpillar

(to the tune of “The Eensy Weensy Spider”)

The fuzzy caterpillar
Curled upon a leaf,
Spun her little chrysalis
And then fell asleep.
While she was sleeping,
She dreamed that she could fly,
And later when she woke up
She was a butterfly!


Caterpillar
Caterpillar
White, black and yellow
Caterpillar
You’re such a pretty fellow


Caterpillar

Fuzzy, wuzzy, creepy crawly
Caterpillar funny
You will be a butterfly
When the days are sunny.

Wiggling, flinging, dancing, springing
Butterfly so yellow,
You were once a caterpillar,
Wriggly, wiggly, fellow.

Lillian Vabada


Caterpillar, Caterpillar

(to the tune of “Motor Boat, Motor Boat”)

Caterpillar, caterpillar, long and slow.
Caterpillar, caterpillar eat and grow.
Caterpillar, caterpillar close your eyes.
Caterpillar, caterpillar change your size.
Caterpillar, caterpillar where’d you go?


Funny Little Caterpillar

Funny little caterpillar
crawling on the ground.
Funny little caterpillar
nowhere to be found.
Though we’ve looked and looked
and hunted everywhere around!


Caterpillar

Caterpillar
Our garden’s furry little train,
Sir Caterpillar, please explain.
I’ve been told that by and by
you’ll turn into a butterfly.
Instead of moving like a train
You’ll fly and flutter like a plane!

I’ve wished for wings, but I don’t know
Just how a kid gets wings to grow.
If you could show me how to do it,
I bet there would be nothing to it!

Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, and fly up in the sky,

Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly,
Do you always fly so high?


Fly Fly Butterfly

(to the tune of “Skip To My Lou”)

Fly fly butterfly,
Fly fly butterfly,
Fly fly butterfly,
Fly up in the sky so high.
CATERPILLARS!
What do caterpillars do?
Nothing much but chew and chew.
What do caterpillars know?
Nothing much but how to grow.
They just eat what by and by
will make them be a butterfly,
But that is more than I can do
however much I chew and chew.

Aileen Fisher


Butterfly, Butterfly

(to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Butterfly, Butterfly,
Fly Away,
You were a caterpillar yesterday
Butterfly, Butterfly
You never stay,
Always flying to a new day.


Mr. Butterfly

Butterfly, butterfly, where do you fly?
Where do you go alone?
Is it for flowers and honey you spy?
Have you a home of your own?

What is your name?
Do you live in the wood?
And what do you come to see?
Dear Mr. Butterfly, won’t you tell
Your secrets to someone like me?


Good Morning Butterfly

Way up in the sky
The butterflies fly.

While down in their nests
The butterflies rest.

With a wing to the left
And a wing to the right
The sweet little butterflies
Sleep all through the night.

SH-h-h-h they’re sleeping.

The bright sun comes up.
The dew falls away.

Good morning, good morning
The butterflies say.