Know the steps to raise the monarch butterflies

Have you heard about the monarch butterflies also credited as the ‘king of butterflies’? Yes! Well, the number of these butterflies which are said to be the most beautiful species of butterflies is significantly decreasing and are in the dire need of protection. Since they are clearly in need of our help, we should raise them and help them breed. But, like there’s a process for everything, there’s also one for raising monarch butterflies. And here, in this blog we will explain all the steps of this process in detail so that you can raise the creature you love in your own garden.

Basic steps for raising monarch butterflies

Monarchs only lay eggs on Milkweed plants, because their caterpillars need it to survive. So, the first step has to be buying and planting the milkweed in your yard or garden. Alternatively, you can plant the seeds but as it will take time to grow big, it’s better to buy milkweed online from us, Educational Science.

• Wait for the eggs

Monarch butterflies keep migrating and if in the process they’ll see your milkweed plant, they might deposit eggs onto your plants. It’s observed that usually the eggs are deposited on the bottom of the milkweed leaves, look for them on the bottom and not on the top. In case, you don’t see any monarch eggs for many days, you can simply buy our Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed Plant Growing Kit that comes with 1-3 monarch larvae - https://www.educationalscience.com/monarch-butterfly-and-milkweed-plant-growing-kit-ship-asap-no-certificate-eastern-larvae-and-plant-with-pop-up-butterfly-cage-lh30-mgk200a.

• Collect the eggs

When you find the eggs, simply cut off leaves that the eggs are on and keep it in the container with a moist towel at the bottom.

• Wait for the eggs to hatch

When you find a black dot at the top of the egg, you will know that it’s time for them to come out of the egg. The moment they’ll come out they’ll start eating the remainder of the egg besides feeding on the milkweed leaves.

• Second week of the larvae

When the larvae or the caterpillar enters the second week, you’ll see an increment in their size. You need to make sure that they have enough space and constant source of fresh food (milkweed leaves); for this, you can either put the potted plant in the butterfly cage or can place leaves from milkweed in the cage for the larvae to feed on. Also, it would be better if you place a paper beneath the cage as the caterpillars poop a lot and removing the paper would be an easy way to keep cleanliness.

• Instars

There are five stages that monarch butterflies’ caterpillar goes through and the common term for all the stages is called the ‘instars’. Breathable mesh butterfly cage doesn’t just provide comfort to the caterpillars, but it also offers you a great way to watch them grow as they shed their old skin while stretching into their new. You can have 2 weeks of fun watching them transition from various stages.

• Caterpillars pupate into chrysalises

When the caterpillars are about to enter the pupa stage, they look for perfect place to spin their silk mat to secure their space. Slowly and gradually, you will find them hung upside down in a ‘J’ shape. They’ll stay like this for 24hours, after which they’ll shed and wriggle off their skin. After a few hours, you will notice that Chrysalis is formed in solid green color with flecks of gold at the top.

• Arrival of butterfly is just 2 weeks away

Within like 12-15 days, you will see the pattern of monarch wings peek through the Chrysalis. The pattern will get darker and vibrant as each day passes by. You’ll be thrilled to see the adult butterfly open its wings. But remember to not touch them for 3-4 hours until the wings dry. Let it dry and you will soon see what you have been waiting to see for long… butterflies fluttering their wings in your garden.

While reading this, did you imagine each stage of butterfly? Yes! Then I guess it was worth a read? Now, if you want to try this out, you can get everything that you need to raise a monarch butterfly on our website. And while this was just a glimpse, you can read the processes involved in raising the butterfly from our book- Raising Butterflies In The Garden. This book will guide you completely.