Raising Monarch Caterpillars Outside
Aside from the dozens of wild milkweed plants growing in my yard, I planted 2 this spring (same as last yr... 2 tropical milkweeds that the local elementary school science classes started as seeds and then gave away to locals at the farmers market).
Just like last year the plants did great and in no time they were covered in monarch cats of all sizes. I never find the chrysalis' so idk what happens to them. Maybe they get eaten, maybe they're just good hiders... who knows?! I do my best to keep the plants and cats protected but never tried actually raising them.
This year I saw 2 hanging in J shape so I knew where the chrysalis would be. Just as expected there was the bright green chrysalis the next day. The first one to appear must have hatched (or gotten eaten) this morning bc the clear sac is ripped open and empty. The other I'm gona keep a close eye on hoping to catch it hatching.
Right now the plants are not much more then bare stems and the cats are nice and long and fat. Looking around I see a bunch crawling around on the impatiens below. They couldnt be anymore vulnerable down there!
This leads me to the point of this whole post...
How large should an enclosure be for approx 12 cats?
Can I keep the enclosure outdoors in the gazebo, out of direct sunlight and safe from wind and rain?
Can I begin feeding them the wild milkweed from the field behind the house if its a different type of milkweed than they have been eating their whole caterpillar lives? I think its "common milkweed" and they have been eating "tropical" or "deep red" milkweed.
Comments (6)
Chrissy- zone6B/7A
4 years agowell I took too long inside and by the time I got back out here most of the cats were long gone. i found about 6 and they're gona thank me later bc I also found this savage beast on the butterfly bush tearing into a moth...
I don't wana hurt the mantis but I also dont want him to eat all the butterflys. I think I'm gona intervene here. ge can live on the other side of the yard where I dont have to watch him make a meal of the pretty bugs
PROThe Logician LLC
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Questions about outside monarchs
Comments (2)Monarch chrysalises do not need to hang. Lots of mine get placed on the bottom of a mesh container. I lay them on a paper towel because the container has a smooth bottom and the monarchs need something to grab. They grab the paper towel, pull themselves out of the chrysalis, walk over to the mesh wall, and climb up the wall....See MoreMilkweed monarch caterpillar dilema
Comments (3)Have fun! But when the butterflies emerge, they will not going to be bound to your garden. They have wings and can fly away. I don't like caterpilars much. They are ugly and chew up on my plants. So if I spot them, just take them away, far away. Despite that, there are a lot of butterflies around my garden. They are the pretiest insects with an ugly past (wink, wink)...See MoreMonarch Caterpillar Failures
Comments (6)Hi Michaela! How frustrating for you. I'm sorry. I am a total newbie who is raising Monarch, Gulf Fritillary, and Eastern Giant Swallowtail butterflies (I had a Black Swallowtail, but it didn't make it). This is my first year being successful at raising Monarchs. Several years ago, a family gave me lots of Monarch caterpillars. I didn't know anything about OE and all of them eclosed very deformed. Now I know it had to be OE. This year I went out and bought a 3-gallon Tropical Milkweed and have subsequently bought a few more as the caterpillar population has exploded! I have had a couple "cats" that started looking not so good, but they were just getting ready to transform into the next instar stage and once they shed their skin they looked great. All made their chrysalis, but one never emerged and so I "euthanized" it. Here is my set-up before cleaning this morning. There are 6 chrysalides and 9 fat cats. My house (north of Houston, where it's in the high 90s outside) is 78 inside and 60% humidity. It sounds like there is either a disease or parasite...I move caterpillars into this set-up when they are just a day or two from making their chrysalis. When the are really small, I keep them in a big glass vase. I load the environments with milkweed. I have been spotted out front in my PJs with scissors in hand cutting fresh milkweed to feed the gang (I'm sure people think I am nuts). I clean the frass off the blue lid when I swap out the plants, about every other day. You might consider enclosing them in an organza bag outside....contained and protected. This batch will bring my total, so far this year, to 30+ raised....See MoreRaising my Monarch Brood
Comments (33)Socks, yes, those are what is left of paper bags. When I have cats approaching the end of their fifth instar, I put them in grocery bags with fresh leaves and tape the top closed. Leave them for a few days and then carefully cut the top with scissors or a letter opener. Then just cut around whoever is hanging out. If they are still soft or haven't turned green, leave them alone until the green chrysalis is hard. Liz, yes, when they turn dark, I take them outside. Or, I might put them back in the tent until there are several ready to release and release them together. I want to take a group of them to release at a nearby public garden, but haven't figured out how to transfer them there....See More
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
4 years agoChrissy- zone6B/7A
4 years agoJason Fleming
4 years ago
annabananaflzone9b