Raising Monarchs

2018 set the bar for raising monarchs!

Nine males and fifteen females = 24 monarch butterflies released to increase the population

The transformation stages are simply magical. Unlike others, I’ve resisted the urge to set up a camera to catch the magic happening. I rather prefer the mysteries of life … kinda like waking up on Christmas morning and finding that the stockings were magically filled.

A few pictures …

That teeny, tiny white speck is an egg.

 

Those teeny, tiny eggs hatched teeny, tiny caterpillars! Top is just hatched, bottom is two days old.

 

Inside the hatchery – very hungry caterpillars munching on milkweed, caterpillars preparing to pupate, chrysalises hanging.

 

Chrysalis! Look at that amazing emerald color and golden dots.

 

Behold a female monarch butterfly!! How do I know it’s a female? There aren’t spots on the lower wings and the black lines are thick.

 

2019 was a bust for raising monarchs!

There were only a few seen caterpillars (despite a full and beautiful garden) … by the time I had the habitat ready for rearing, I couldn’t find any. Sad. Fingers crossed that 2020 will be better!

The sign makes the bed officially official.

 

Hoping that adding butterfly milkweed will bring in the monarchs earlier in the season.