Raising Book Resources
Raising Hope for the 2023 Monarch Migration- Share Your Raise The Migration Results
Raise The Migration is an annual North American challenge to raise monarch butterflies to release for fall’s annual monarch migration. The time has come to share your 2023 experience and raise it forward…
The raising season is coming to an end, so we’d love to hear how many butterflies you released for fall’s annual 2023 monarch migration…and more importantly, what lessons you’ve learned through this amazing raising experience?
If you’ve still got some raising to do, raise on! But please post in the comment box at the bottom of this page after you’ve released your last butterfly.
Every year, I start Raise The Migration in July, but monarchs raised at that time aren’t actually migration generation butterflies…they’re the parents to that amazing generation of travelers.
There’s no way to tell whether butterflies will mate or migrate, but one telltale sign of a migration generation butterfly is its size, which is dependent on how much the caterpillar eats. The first super-sized caterpillars start to form chrysalides around the first week of September in our northern region…
In the garden, you can tell non-migratory butterflies by their worn out wings. Non-migratory males are also more aggressive, chasing off potential competition while seeking out female companionship…migratory monarchs are in sexual diapause and only interested in stocking up on nectar for the long journey ahead.
So how did our Raise The Migration Monarchs fare this season and what lessons did we learn raising forward?
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If you’re interested in a step-by-step how to raise monarchs book (choose paperback or PDF download) please check out the monarch raising guide by clicking this butterfly photo:
For anyone who purchases the guide (or any other item) from Monarch Butterfly Life, you will be invited to our closed facebook group where you can discuss raising monarchs with other raisers and post your photos.
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Here are Raise the Migration results from the past eight seasons:
2022- 100% Survival Rate
2021- 86% Survival Rate
2020- 82% survival rate
2019- 81% survival rate
2018- 93% survival rate
2017- 100% survival rate
2016- 96% survial rate
2015- 96% survival rate
2014- 90% survival rate
2013- 100% survival rate
As you can see from the results, this raising system is consistently producing healthy monarchs to help support the struggling monarch population.
Raise The Migration 2023 Results
Caterpillar Escapes
By keeping monarch eggs and baby caterpillars in sealed food containers, and raising larger caterpillars in the mesh cages, we never lose caterpillars.
I think the closest we have come was a few years back when I forgot to close a cage door and found a caterpillar crawling on top of the cage. 🐛 😱
Unexplained Caterpillar Deaths
None
Caterpillar Diseases and Parasites?
None
Accidental Deaths?
I carelessly removed a small caterpillar that was getting ready to molt inside the plastic food container. It was not able to fully shed its skin and did not survive.
Chrysalis Problems
None
Butterfly Eclosure Issues
None
Final Results
Our totals will be taken from all eggs that have successfully hatched in our care. We don't count eggs that were parasitized outside or monarchs brought in as caterpillars because they could have parasites too.
This year, we ended up with 9 migration generation monarchs...all have been 'unintentional' after pulling wayward egg-upied common milkweed coming up in the lawn.
So how many survived to reach butterhood?
1 accidental death
0 disease or parasite issues
0 unexplained deaths
3 healthy males
5 healthy females
89% survival rate
Lessons Learned
There have been a few lessons learned throughout this season and it's the result of having a new outdoor raising setup.
In past seasons, we raised in a 3-season porch with the windows open, which protected growing monarchs from extreme weather, while still exposing them to environmental cues telling them to migrate. This year, we raised outdoors and barely avoided a couple catastrophes:
- Protect the cage from heavy rains above- we did this by placing the cage on a bench under an evergreen. On the other side of the deck, we place cages under the awning (prevents drownings and falling chrysalides)
- If heavy rain is forecast, consider removing the poo poo platter so rain doesn't pool on the cage floor (prevents drownings)
- Protect monarchs from strong winds- we ended up using two paver bricks in each cage (prevents cages from falling or blowing away)
- Crowded Caterpillars often Pupate on Milkweed Leaves- We used smaller cages this season and having to use two pavers inside each minimized space which made plant leaves too enticing to form chrysalides
- If a caterpillar pupates on a leaf that's OK, but separate it from feeding caterpillars (prevents chrysalis from falling to floor if leaf gets eaten)
- Use your magnifier- our lone accidental death of '23 could have been prevented if I used it to see that a small caterpillar I moved was actually molting. (When you see better, you do better!)
- Keep Cages away from Predators- we have been lucky with insects and larger predators chewing through the cage to this point, but there is always a greater chance you will have issues with an outdoor raising setup
We were very lucky this season was a success. On a windy night, the cage nearly blew off the table it was on becuase I was using rocks instead of the heavier paver bricks to secure the stage. This could have severely injured or killed most of our brood
I much prefer the indoor setup with exposure to natural outdoor conditions. We will be investing in a greenhouse or arboretum for raising purposes next season and will keep you posted.
Migration Memories 2023
Our Mexican sunflowers were a big hit with migrating monarchs, swallowtails, hummingbirds, and bees this season. Here's a Minnesota Migration Moment from early September:
...and here's our final release monarch female stocking up on nectar September 20th:
I hope you enjoyed reading about my Raise The Migration '23 results and lessons learned raising monarchs through the butterfly life cycle .
And now, I'd love to hear about your experience...
Share Your Results?! ✍️
Please share your results at the bottom of this page and let us know how many monarchs you released to help boost the struggling monarch population…remember to include your location.
More importantly, please share the most valuable lesson(s) you learned about raising monarch butterflies, that you believe can help others raising forward.
Thank you for helping to Raise the Migration in 2023
189 comments
Have successfully tagged and released over 25 monarchs. Still have 5 chrysalis and 7 large cats. Am also tagging the wild monarchs that enter my gardens. Compared to last season this one though low in monarch numbers compared to past years all have been healthy
I live in Hastings Michigan. I found my first egg on July 11, and as of Sept. 17, raised and released 77 monarch’s.
I lost around 20 or so early on….. death in the egg…two t-fly deaths ( they were both from cats that I had found) I haven’t experienced that with any eggs found….I’m pretty good at checking daily for eggs, so hopefully it helps to rescue before the flies get to them.
I had one (who I named Nemo) who had a deformed wing. He lived on my enclosed porch for 2 weeks and 3 days before he died. 💔
I have him in a cloche. 🧡💛
Bristol, CT
This year I’ve raised and released 140 healthy monarchs from eggs in my yard. Last year I had 101. I did not see many monarchs in the yard this spring, but the ones that were there, laid a lot of eggs.
Lessons learned this year –
1. Keep same sized cats together. While i was waiting for a cage to free up, I temporarily put two sizes in the same cage and by morning, the smaller ones were nowhere to be found even tho they had plenty of fresh milkweed that had been washed and checked for predators.
2. Monarchs love to lay eggs on millweed that is away from the main milkweed patch. They love to lay eggs on tender plants, shoots coming up in the lawn and on the milkweed flower buds.
3. When i need more milkweed to serve the cats, i cut it the night before to make sure they don’t wilt. I have found that putting them in warm water helps to keep them firm, but if they should wilt even with the warm water, cutting the end of the stem off again and adding more warm water should do the trick to firm them up.
4. If I have to move a chrysalis, wait a few days to make sure the outer part is firm and strong.
5. I always release new butterflies the day after they hatch. That extra time helps them to be strong flyers.
6. This year I planted late blooming perennials like Joe Pye weed and New England Asters to support late migrating monarchs. Also, stake the tall flowers like Mexican sunflowers so fall storms don’t knock them over.
7. Use mint compost to control aphids.
8. Plant a variety of milkweed. My common and purple milkweed are dying out now but swamp and tropical are still vibrant to support cats that hatch later in the season.
This was a wonderful season with so many monarchs – its so rewarding. I invited a few neighbors to help me release the butterflies and one is going to try raising next season.
Thank you Tony and to all who wrote about their experiences and helpful hints.
It has made raising so much easier and successful.
Even though I had several areas dedicated to milkweed growing throughout my yard I experienced very little Monarch activity this
2023 season in the south western area of Westerville Ohio. Never found any eggs but was blessed to find one Monarch caterpillar which I snatched from a plant and used my butterfly
equipment (floral tubes & netted cage) to successfully raise through all stages and released one male Monarch on August 14th.
I did see one rogue Monarch this afternoon September 23rd feeding on some large zinnias and was glad that there were still enough blooms to supply a meal for its journey. In addition I was lucky enough to raise one Swallowtail caterpillar and release it around the same time that I found on some parsley growing in the garden. I do not live near a river or stream which I think is one reason there is a lack of butterfly activity in my area. Plus I believe the municipality did some spraying in the area which didn’t help. Next year I think I may try my luck at purchasing some caterpillars to raise and release. Tony, I really appreciate all the info you share with us and items you sell.
This was my first year using a mesh bag enclosure. All eggs were from the milkweed I was going to mow down in my grass. They were brought up outside under the deck roof and I supplied 12 small viles in which to keep the milkweed fresh. We had 11 butterflies hatch from Aug 24 to the last one on Sept 14, 2023. 6 males, 4 females and 1 that flew off too quickly. It was a lot of fun to watch them grow and change and I’m looking forward to seeing them again next year in Niagara.