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
I live in southern Pennsylvania. Monarchs arrived late, August. Most of the swamp milkweed were in bad shape. I did have balloon milkweed and tropicals for hungry cats. I tried this year just monitoring my garden for cats and chrysalis. I had one with deformed wing. I had about 10 successful beautiful monarchs! I have had problems in the past with keeping milkweed leaves fresh for the cats in the castles. 3 cats left on my balloon milkweed. Hopefully weather stays warm for them to complete the cycle. I monitor every day. Happy Monarch watch!
This was my first time raising monarchs. I’m in Massachusetts. I wound up with two batches totaling 12. All became healthy butterflies. The first batch I found all as first out second instar caterpillars (two by accident, they were on the same leaf as a second instar I saw). They turned out to be 5 females and 2 males. The second batch I found as 3 eggs and 2 first instar caterpillars. They turned out to be 2 females and 3 males.
Lesson learned: have a backup enclosure! In the first batch I thought one of the caterpillars was sick (it was at the bottom with fluid around it) so I immediately removed it. While my partner drove to the nearest store to buy a bug habitat, I fashioned a make shift container out of screen folded around a container to keep it in, in the meantime. I folded the screen shut as best I could. I had a meeting for two hours and the screen sprung loose and the caterpillar escaped! Fortunately I found it trucking along the arm of a patio chair! I guess it was feeling better. The bug habitat was not as good as the enclosure I bought through this site but I put the single caterpillar in it not to risk the others. I did sew shut an opening intended to put bugs in and used binder clips to keep the top shut. It was suitable for one caterpillar with the modifications (in a pinch anyway).
I then found the second group of caterpillars while the first were still chrysalises. I put the second group in a large/wide food container and it was easier to care for them there while they were small (easier to find them!). But they started getting bigger and were really ready for the enclosure. However, my first batch had not eclosed. I put a screen over the container on the screened porch (weighted by stones to prevent additional escapees) to get them access to light and temperature changes. I had to change leaves much more frequently as they dried out quickly. I transferred the caterpillars by cutting the leaf they were on around them and placing them on a new leaf.
I was relieved when the first group flew off and I could sanitize the enclosure and move the second group in!! I will be buying another one for next year.
I placed a security camera outside on the table and was able to see them becoming chrysalises and emerging which was very exciting!
We still have two chrysalises that were just made a couple of days ago and one caterpillar that started searching for its spot to hang. We’ve had 65 butterflies emerge. Two were kept as pets because of wing damage when they were drying (they lost their grip and fell) and they lived 3 weeks (supplied with fresh zinnias and oranges cut in half.) In total we’ve had 65 released (30 females, 35 males.) Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Our biggest problems were the wasp infections and the caterpillars died when they started to make their J. I was very worried about tachnids but only one chrysalis was infected with those. The infections only occurred in our “Visitor” category – those that we found as caterpillars when they were an inch or longer. All of the ones we found as eggs were fine. Can’t wait for next year!
I live in eastern Iowa and this was year 7 for me raising 232 monarchs indoors. An even number of males and females, which was surprising. I have a lot of milkweed in my yard (common, swamp, and butterfly weed) and usually bring them in as eggs. Tachnid flies were no problem for a change this year until my last 3 caterpillars. My method is putting the eggs (on the small milkweed leaf piece) on a damp paper towel in a loosely covered container until they have a black spot, then transfer them individually into a tiny nursery container. At one half inch I move them together into larger containers with milkweed stalks until they are about 2” long. I separate the 1/2”- 1” from the 1”- 2” cats. At 2” each one goes into a large McDonalds iced coffee cup and are labeled with a date 8 days from that day. (I actually had 2 eclose after 7 days, and a few at 9 days but, since I don’t run my AC too much, 8 days is average). They always get a nice breeze from my kitchen window. I hang a paper towel strip from the lid in the rare instance that the butterfly falls, so it can climb back up. This method works well for me. Their favorite flowers in my yard seem to be Mexican sunflowers, zinnias, meadow blazing stars and now asters. What a fun and rewarding hobby!
Madison, WI: I released my last butterfly this year on September 15. Total was 77 – more than half were male this year which was a bit unusual. In the last two years I have released over 100 so this was a smaller number. They came much later this year – perhaps due to the drought conditions. One butterfly with deformed wings and 3-4 caterpillar deaths.