Butterflies and hummingbirds both go through amazing life cycles, but they grow in different ways.

A butterfly starts its life as a tiny egg laid on a leaf. After a few days, the egg hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar spends most of its time eating leaves so it can grow bigger. When it gets big enough, it forms a chrysalis around its body. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar slowly changes into a butterfly. After some time, a fully formed butterfly comes out with wings and can fly around to drink nectar from flowers. 

Hummingbirds have different life cycles because they are birds.

A female hummingbird lays very small eggs in a tiny nest made of soft materials like plant fibers and spider silk. After about two weeks , the eggs hatch into baby hummingbirds called chicks.

The mother feeds them nectar and small insects until they grow stronger. As the chicks grow, they develop feathers and learn how to fly. Eventually they leave the nest and begin living on their own, visiting flowers for nectar just like butterflies.

Even though their life cycles are different, both butterflies and hummingbirds play an important role in helping flowers grow by spreading pollen.

Hummingbirds usually appear in Indiana in early to mid-April. It is a good idea to have your hummingbird feeders out by the first week of April. Hummingbirds usually return annually.