The Monarch

Monarch Butterfly

This is a male monarch adult butterfly that was raised from a caterpillar.

Wet Meadows

This is a valley floor wet meadow where you can usually find Monarchs between July through September. Usually these areas are undeveloped agricultural areas and have enough moisture to support Russian Olive Trees. More.

Milkweed

This is milkweed, one of the larval host plants of the Monarch. The scientific name for this particular variety is Asclepias speciosa. They call it milkweed because it bleeds white when you pick a leaf off a stem. Milkweeds can be found in agricultural areas.

Because Monarch females prefer to roost in trees during the late morning and afternoons of hot summer days, when they do fly, they tend to prefer to lay their eggs on milkweeds growing near or under the trees where they roost. More.

Two Monarch Caterpillars

To find monarch caterpillars in its habitat look on milkweeds growing near (or underneath) its roosting trees. The caterpillars are usually found on the underside of the leaves.

Monarch Laying Eggs

Another way to get monarch caterpillars is to capture a live female with a butterfly net, place her in a cage with cuttings of milkweed and place the cage near a sunlit window and watch her lay eggs.

The main difference between Monarch females and males is the females are a more smokier reddish brown color and males have dark spot (called a scent patch) on the hindwing. More.

Monarch Live Female in a Cage

Here is an example of a screen cage used to get monarch females to lay eggs. Place fresh cuttings of milkweed leaves in a water bottle and place them inside the cage. Place the cage either next to a sunlit window or outside. Intermittant of filtered sunlight seems to work better than constant, direct sunlight.

Building such a cage can be somewhat labor intensive unless you have someone good with tools around the house. Another alternative to building a cage is to simply take a five gallon bucket and cut out a 6" by 6" window from the side and replace with nylon netting. Do the same with the lid.

Other alternatives include buying similar cages online.

Cut away eggs individually from milkweed

Newly hatched monarch caterpillars--termed first instars--can be cannibalistic if they find another monarch egg. (They might eat it.) The best thing to do is to cut away the monarch egg and place it individually into a small plastic container, and wait for it to hatch.

Separate eggs

Once you've cut the egg out of the plant, place it in a small container. A restaurant or fast food condiment solo cup (with lid) is ideal. More.

Closeup of Monarch egg

Here is Nicky Davis' closeup photograph of a monarch egg. Eggs usually take 5-10 days to hatch in nature depending upon temperature. More.

Monarch egg up closer

Here is a closer photograph on a monarch egg. Photo Todd Stout

Monarch Egg Developing

Here is a photo of a monarch ovum showing the head capsule of the developing first instar caterpillar. Photo courtesy William Zittrich. William's website is http://www.wyllz.com/id177.htm.

Monarch Egg Develops

This is a series of photos of the developing egg of the monarch butterfly as it hatches into a young first instar caterpillar. Photos were taken by William Zittrich. William's website is http://www.wyllz.com/id177.htm.

Monarch First Instar Caterpillar

Here is a photograph of a recently hatched monarch first instar caterpillar.

It is important, while looking for caterpillars in the wild, to familiarize yourself with this particular chew pattern (some call it skeletonizing) that is unique to young monarch caterpillars. Many insects chew on milkweed plants; but if you are familar with monarch's distinctive chewmarks, it will make your caterpillar hunting more productive.

Using this technique (recognizing the unique chewmarks of your early instar caterpillars) can be very helpful with searching for other species of butterflies as well.

Monarch first instar chew mark damage

Here is an example of the chew mark damage provided by a young instar monarch caterpillar.

Monarch Second Instar Caterpillar

Closeup photo of a monarch second instar caterpillar.

Milkweed Bouquet

This is a picture of milkweed cuttings in water (milkweed bouquet). The quality of your milkweed cuttings will only stay green and useable for about five days at which time you will need to replace it out again. The best way to move caterpillars from old plant to new plant is to cut around the caterpillar with scissors and place it on top of the new cuttings.

Milkweed Cuttings inside Bucket Cage

Once you have setup your milkweed bouquet and have placed your caterpillars on it, place that inside a rearing cage or a five gallon bucket with a screen lid. It is important that your rearing setup has a screen lid in order to provide plenty of ventillation; not because the caterpillars need to breathe; but moreso because caterpillar droppings need to dry. (Otherwise caterpillars can get sick.)

Monarch fourth instar caterpillar

Monarch Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Here is a picture of a monarch fifth instar caterpillar on milkweed.

Monarch Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Here is a photo of a monarch fifth instar caterpillar taken by William Zittrich.

Monarch Prepupa

When a last instar monarch caterpillar is through feeding, it will seek out a spot to form a chrysalis. It accomplishes this by attaching itself either to a leaf, stem, or elsewhere using silk to create what we call a cremaster. Once it sheds its skin, it will form its chrysalis. Photo courtesy Nicky Davis.

Caterpillar Pupates

Nicky Davis takes a great photo of a caterpillar shedding its skin for the last time (pupating) as it starts to form its chrysalis.

Monarch Pupa

Monarch pupa. Photo courtesy Nicky Davis.

Attach pupa to lid of emergence container

Once your monarch prepupa has formed a chrysalis, cut around the milkweed it pupated on attach to the lid of an emergence container.

Monarch Emergence Container

To emerge your adult monarch, select a plastic tub or margarine tub that is big enough to hold your adult monarch. Remember to have paper towel taped or glued around the sides so that the butterfly walk around and have room to dry its wings.

Monarch Wings

As the chrysalis develops into an adult butterfly, you can see the wings of the butterfly showing through the pupal shell. This butterfly is only a few hours away from emerging. Place container in a dark closet to minimize how much the butterfly flies once it emerges. Photo courtesy Nicky Davis.

Healthy Monarch Female Emerges

Once the beautiful adult butterfly emerges, it takes roughly 6 hours for wings to expand and harden so that the butterfly can fly. All photos provided by Nicky Davis.

Monarch Adult Butterflies

Monarch adult butterflies. Photo courtesy William Zittrich. William's website is http://www.wyllz.com/id177.htm.

Males vs. Female Monarch Butterflies

Photo taken by William Zittrich showing the differences in the wing markings of a male vs. a female monarch. The male has two pheromone pouches and a thinner wing venation as compared to a female. William's website is http://www.wyllz.com/id177.htm.