Raising Monarch Butterflies, with 10 Pro Tips

All butterflies lay multiple eggs on a single plant. The best placement in on the underside of leaves but when host plants are in short supply you'll find eggs on top, too. 

Tip 1: Planting more host plants can increase proper placement and survival rates. For monarchs, there is only one host plant: milkweed. Choose a variety that is suited to your region, for example Showy Milkweed in Colorado, Swamp Milkweed in Virginia.

It's estimated that as low as 2% will survive to become a butterfly.

Tip 2: Collect the ones you wish to raise while eggs. Even tiny caterpillars can get parasitized so bringing them in early increases your chance of successfully raising a healthy butterfly.

Inexpensive setup but frass collects on the lid. A yogurt container or something with a flat lid is easier to keep clean.

Tip 3: A few floral tubes are worth acquiring. I bought mine online but really should have Wished in my local Buy Nothing Group. Floral tubes are good because they can be laid on their side, making it easier for caterpillars that fall off the milkweed to get back on.

Look for skeletonizing before carefully turning over leaves, to avoid harming tiny caterpillars.

Tip 4: Especially when competing for leaves, caterpillars fall off their milkweed frequently. 

Found this little one wandering on some lantana, planted below the milkweed.

If you have a sprig of milkweed in a floral tube, presenting the caterpillar with fresh food is a simple rescue. Otherwise, encourage the wayward caterpillar to climb onto your finger and hold them against some milkweed until they walk off. Be patient. If you've ever tried to get a cat — a feline one — to eat a special piece of food you put literally in front of their face… it's like that.

They'll frequently stay on one leaf for 24-36 hrs, not moving. 

Tip 5: They spend LOTS of time doing seemingly NOTHING. Don't mess with them! Magic is happening inside. Doing nothing is a precursor to molting. Be prepared for a photo opp. 

Tip 6: A yellow head is a sure sign of a freshly molted caterpillar. It takes a couple of hours for the color to develop. In the video, the black striped lens cap hasn't been flicked off the head yet. 

Tip 7: During and after molting, they are particularly fragile. Make sure to not jostle them. Exophagy, eating the shed exoskeleton, helps the caterpillar conserve energy and provides resources to resume rapid growth. 

Silk pad started, viewed with a macrolens.

Tip 8: Monarch caterpillars seek a high place to pupate. They'll pick a spot to rest horizontally for a day or so. Warmer outdoor temperatures speed things up while A/C indoor temperatures slow things down. Remember, resting doesn't mean doing nothing! They'll play dead if they feel threatened so you probably won't see it, but they're throwing strands of silk to secure their spot. It's very difficult to see, even with a magnifying glass.

Tip 9: They can fit through a honeybee queen excluder no problem. I laid my honey bucket mesh bag over top to keep them in. When I lifted the bag to take a peek and heard shredding, I learned that the caterpillar throws silk pretty far when building the pad from which the chrysalis will hang. The sound of tearing silk is distressing, and I'm not making that mistake again! I hope I've saved you that feeling of guilt.

Tip 10: There is a way to tell a male from a female while in chrysalis form!

Look below the two black dots, above the first horizontal line. That tiny slit means female.

BONUS TIP: I have a macrolens on my phone to capture this detail. It's no longer in production, but I hear that Apexel lenses are really good, and they're inexpensive, too.

No slit = male. Can't wait to welcome you to the world, Theo!

This year, I named my first big caterpillar Theo on a whim. "He" was big and easy to identify from the others in my caterpillar enclosure (a 5-gallon bucket). Then one morning, lots of molting had happened and everybody was Theo. As it turned out, his pace stayed ahead of the rest and he turned out to be a boy after all.