There are many strategies for this, but keep a few things in mind.

Eggs need: Food, fresh plants, clean environs, fresh air. An excellent start to avoid mistakes would be to buy an inexpensive reptarium cage. They come in black mesh screens that wrap around plastic tubing, with a zipper. I think a good 24*16*48 high would be a good start. Why so important? YOu need to be able to clean the cage now and then. You need good air circulation. And you need to keep little kitties from escaping. Some cats stay close to their host, others wander. A simple rule whilst we're on this topic, before ever moving a caterpillar, tickle its rear end. If it moves it's back legs/crawls, it;s safe to move. IF it refuses to crawl, and simply waves it's head at you, it's ready to molt...leave it alone...this is the most common time they leave their host plant.

Now, that said, I have tried many ways, but a good way is to keep some host plants in pots (parsley,fennell work well for this for BST's, bear in mind these guys can eat when they get big...so you'll want some good rotating stock of host plants. This isn't hard, but you need to prepare in advance. One cat can eat one good sized plant in it's cycle. 10 cats means you'll need 10 pots of parsley to keep the operation clean and going. I rotate the pots when they've eaten them down, put them outside with fresh sun/air/water, and they grow back. BTW, you'll want a light source for your plants in the cage if you use this method, even if that means an outdoor cage and some direct sunlight...you are far north enough that that may work.

This is easier than your fears as you encounter some self doubt, and a great family exercise. But develop a plan and some plants before you jump in, so you can mitigate pitfalls. BST cats are easy to raise, and great fun to release. YOu can plan for monarchs next year if you have MW , they can really eat some large amounts of food, so a good stock growing wild that you can clip and wash (another way to raise cats) to keep the meals fresh.

The main thing to remember in this is that raising cats in a small container concentrates them at a level not seen in nature, and thus raises the prospect of germs/disease wiping out an entire batch, which has happened to me and others.....go bigger than you think you need, have more host plant than you think you need, and a backup plan if you run out. That will keep you from the "help I'm out of food" saga that many of us have been....traversing the wilds to feed our hungry cats! They doon't sell cat food at the stores!!!

Good luck, have great fun with your kids, and keep us posted. I hope this helps!!!

Thanks msrpaul! So an aquarium isn't a good idea? not enough air circulation? If we try this, I think we'll only start out with one or two, if we find any. Now I have an idea of how much food they need.

I was actually just coming to post another question, and when I opened the thread, there was a reply! So here's my other question:

Where do I find the eggs/cats?!? I know it sounds stupid, but we were out walking the "weed patch" and couldn't find anything but ants, ladybugs or japanese beetles (which ever) and some funny horned beetle that was eating on milkweed (kinda looked like a tick on steroids) Oh, we did see another BST flying around, but it didn't land on anything! So here's a few pics of my weed patch, well one of them. Help me out here. I know my dig cam sucks, but if you can identify anything to tell me where to look, it would be great. (other than the milkweed)

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And just for fun, here's a pic of milkweed in bloom. I don't think I've ever paid any attention to how pretty and fragrant the blooms are.

{{gwi:488931}}

If you wanna see more of my weeds, I uploaded a bunch to my photobucket site, trying to get some ID'd

Here is a link that might be useful: Karri's weeds

You have common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, growing in your yard. Monarch butterfly eggs are fairly easy to see, they are about 1mm diameter, creamy white, with faint stripes that run from the bottom to the top, something like the seams on a football. The eggs are found singly, not clumped together in groups. They are often on the bottom of a milkweed leaf, but when the plant is flowering, they are more often found in the flower head.

Is that Anise in one of the pictures? That would also be one of the Black Swallowtail's host plants. :) I sent you an email, BTW.

tdogmom, I didn't get the email. you can e-mail me directly at kek19@aol.com. Which pic and where is the Anise?

Hi Kari
I live in Michigan also.(I am in the Romeo area-are you anywhere close)
One way to find egg, if you are having trouble actually finding them on the plant is to take time out of you day on a warm day (between 10 and 2 pm) and see what is flying and what plants they are landing on. I have found many a monarch egg and a black eastern swallowtail egg this way.
Good Luck
Connie

Sherry, So Black Swallowtail cats eat Anise hyssop? If that's the case, they'd better show up here because I've planted lots of it. I LOVE the smell!
Cathy