Raising Monarchs

[Nepen]

Thank you! I'll replace them everyday. For now they are so little. The picture make them look big but actually tiny!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Two more released today.

 

[Nepen]

Hm.... My monarch caterpillars just climbed the wall and stay there since last night not moving. What are they doing?

 

[CountryEscape]

JB, I meant the "look-a-like" cat, the swallowtail cat! That caterpillar looks VERY much like the monarch, but would not be on milkweed either. Swallowtail host plants are dill, fennel, parsley, queen anne's lace plants.
Your butterflies are GORGEOUS!!!! It's so much fun to release them when they are perfect like that, isn't it?!
Nepen, yours is a well growing cat, this is a newborn. If you took a slightly sharpened pencil tip, this is smaller.

If your cat is climbing the wall, and is not large enough to pupate, then maybe it "got lost". Try putting some leaves (make sure they are in water) up close to where it is on the wall. If it's still growing, it will climb back onto the leaves. Sometimes they get sick, and just never make it to pupate or pupate and never eclose (emerge from chrysalis). That's all part of nature

 

[Nepen]

How do you put leaves in water?

 

[CountryEscape]

I use a small coffee cup, put two layers of saran wrap on top, rubber band to hold the sarah, and poke a hole in the top for the stem of the milkweed or leaf. I have learned that cutting off the very top of a milkweed plant is best when the cats are larger, like 1" or so. That gives them more leaves to eat before I have to change it. If you have an egg or tiny baby on a leaf, and don't want the whole stem and all, cut the bottom of the leaf back so there is at least 2" of stem on the leaf, and put it in the water. Using wet paper towels wrapped in saran or foil works, but only for a day or so. The leave/stem needs to be in water if possible. I have mine in a 10 gallon aquarium, and if I get many more cats, I'll be putting them into my empty 55 gallon. I raised 42 cats last year, and this year I have a total of 3 in chrysalis so far, and 8 more in all stages. That's doable in a 10 gallon, but if I bring in the "beast" 55 gal, I'll have much more room to make sure to keep the tiny babies separate from the larger ones, as the larger ones might eat the leaf the baby is on, and eat the baby, too!
Good luck!!!

 

[Nepen]

Thanks!

The ones on the wall still not moving. I'm thinking I might lose them those are the big ones.

 

[Nepen]

Question: it's going to be fall soon. What will happen when the cats turn to monarch butterfly in fall? I'm in NC. I found some new eggs. Aren't that a bit late for them to be here

 

[CountryEscape]

If you found eggs and want to raise them, go for it. I have released monarchs in October with no problem. The way I see it, they will grow in the luxury of our homes, instead of outside in the heat/cold/rain/wind, so they are very strong when they emerge and can take on just about anything. If left outside, they will probably never make it, simply due to other obstacles that they face.
And, there are lots of reasons monarchs don't make it. Don't beat yourself up about it. If you have two that are lethargic, don't seem to be progressing or growing to full size, it's nature. The main thing with raising them is to keep their food supply fresh. Baby cats can eat on the same leaves (again, I usually cut off a stem with 3-6 leaves on it) for 4-5 days, as long as the leaves are in water and stay fresh. The larger cats can easily go through 2 full leaves (I'm talking common milkweed, with leaves that are large) in a day each! I'm having a heck of a time keeping the cats separate with their own food source. The only reason I'm doing this is because I want the ones hatched on common milkweed to stay on that, not switch, otherwise I have to keep track on what I need to bring inside.
Surprise ... well to me it was ... I have 3 baby cats now! There must have been an egg I was not aware of on one of the leaves, so now I have an extra baby! My number is up to 11 - 4 in chrysalis, one in "J" form tonight, so will be chrysalis tomorrow, 3 tiny babies (they sure grow slow the first few days) one medium sized cat and another large cat. I also have released one monarch over a month ago. So, my year has been very late this year! Last year, I had released probably 20 by this time, and was working on my second group, for a total of 42 released.
I just figure, any I raise and release are that many more that I know made it at least to butterfly stage.
Next year I want to grow host plants for black swallowtail butterflies - dill, fennel, rue, queen anne's lace to name a few. I tired this year, but weeds took over the area. Next year I will plant these things in areas when I can keep a closer watch on weeds.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Question: it's going to be fall soon. What will happen when the cats turn to monarch butterfly in fall? I'm in NC. I found some new eggs. Aren't that a bit late for them to be here

No, not late at all considering how far south you are in comparison to me. There are still Monarch caterpillars in my area and the Monarch Butterflies will still be around here well into October.

queen anne's lace to name a few. I tired this year, but weeds took over the area.

Queen Anne's Lace IS a weed!

 

[CountryEscape]

LOL, a weed is only a weed if it is where someone doesn't want it. I want the queen anne's lace for the swallowtails, so it's welcome in my wild flower patch.
Nepen, here is how I have my stuff set up. Everyone makes changes to what suits their own needs, and this has worked for me, although I'm going to bring in my big 55 gallon aquarium tomorrow night, I have too many in this small 10 gallon, can't get in and clean and refresh it very easy.
I gather common milkweed stems and leaves for food.

Then I trim off the bottom part of the leaf so that there is enough stem to fit down into the water.

I use a small coffee mug, put saran wrap (I use 2 layers to make it more sturdy) on top and use a rubber band to keep it from falling off.

Then add the milkweed, making sure to keep the stems always in water. They are like a Christmas tree, they suck up the water pretty fast, needing to add to the cup almost daily. I use a baster to put water down the holes in the saran to refill in between refreshing the leaves.

My set up in the 10 gallon aquarium looks like this from above, with the wire mesh top off.

I have a wire mesh top that the cats usually climb up to and hang in a "J" before turning into a chrysalis.

A view of the aquarium from the side. Tonight I found 5 more small cats on my swamp milkweed, so I had to add another cup. I'm overloaded, so that's why I will be setting up the 55 gal tomorrow evening. Need to figure out a way to cover it, that will be easy to remove often to refresh leaves, and add more cats, and remove butterflies when they eclose!

 

[Nepen]

Wow @CountryEscape Thanks so much for the pics! Now it makes more sense. How long do you think the leaves last once it got cut and put in water like that?

I have just a small bug box. I dont have a lot of milkweed (only a few plants) so I have to be careful or i'll run out before the cats turn!

How do you change the leaves? Mine always have some cats on it and I couldnt just pick up the cats to the new leaves. Do you do clean up often?

 

[CountryEscape]

I SHOULD clean the paper towels up every other day at least, but I've been doing it every 3 days or so lately. It's hard, since my container is too crammed with leaves! Put down either newspaper or paper towels, or do like me and do both. I cut the paper towels so that I can peel off a couple of layers each time I clean up.
To add leaves to existing cats, add a second leaf to the same hole where the last leaf is. The cat will move over to the fresher leaf, and then you can remove the old one. I don't like to touch the cats unless necessary, especially the tiny babies. They always move on their own, as long as the leaves are close and preferable touching.
If you have milkweed in your yard, then I'll bet there is some in the road ditches or fields near you. If you run out, drive around until you find some growing wild, and harvest from that plant! I have a big patch of milkweed, compliments of a bird dropping the first seed. I have had them in my front flower bed for 3 or 4 years now, and there are over 30 plants that come up. Need to move them to the wild flower area ... some day ....
The leaves will last at least 2 days, maybe longer. If you find a young patch of milkweed where you can cut the tops off the plant, stem and all, and have multiple leaves on a stem in the water, they last even longer. A large cat will eat a large milkweed leaf in a day, but by the time they are eating that much, they will so pupate to the chrysalis, and then you are done feeding that one.
Patti

 

[Nepen]

Thanks!

Is it normal to saw some new hatchling in the morning and they are gone in the evening?

I just change new leaves and I peeled off every old crumple leaves and still couldn't find the 3 new babies I saw this morning. I looked EVERYwhere. I gave up after an hour of eye crossing staring the old leaves and surrounding area for them.

Now I can only accounted for 4

I found shallow round plastic container with lid that fit my bug container so I use those and poke holes inthe lid to put the leaves in. it's about 1.5 inches tall so it's perfect for me.


I don't think I'll see some around. All places are developed into new houses. I walked around state park nearby and couldn't find one. I should take my swamp milkweed seeds there my common milkweed seed pods are still not ready to be harvested. I may be should take those (once ready) to spread around the ground under that big electric pole/ grid thing too. Where we are they let those section go wild with weed and wild flowers, why not add milkweed, right?

 

[Nepen]

https://www.facebook.com/thenorthca...129888.205503977511/10154480380432512/?type=3

For those who live in or near Asheville. NC arboretum is selling milkweed for pretty cheap tomorrow!!!!!