The story begins when Mama Butterfly lays her batch of little white eggs. The pretty buckeye butterfly chooses a plantain weed, the painted lady chooses a thistle or a sunflower. Each butterfly knows just what food her babies will need and lays her eggs where they will find it. Soon the eggs hatch into tiny caterpillars and begin to eat.

The hungry fellows eat and eat and grow and grow. At last they become drowsy and turn themselves into crysalises. For a while they sleep, maybe for a few weeks, maybe all through the winter. At last the time comes to wake up and the crusty crysalises crack open. Bit by bit, out struggle the full grown butterflies. They dry their new wings and off they fly to lay eggs of their own.