Raising Book Resources
Raising Hope for the 2020 Migration- 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 2020 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 2020 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 early August, but monarchs raised at that time aren’t actually migration generation butterflies…they’re actually 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 guide digital guide with free updates (before each monarch season begins in spring) 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 seven seasons:
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 2020 Results
I am counting our 2020 migration generation as all butterflies that eclosed September 1st and after.
Caterpillar Escapes
Since using food container hatcheries for eggs and baby caterpillars, this has helped us to easily keep track of the wee cats until they can be placed in the larger mesh cages. We have not lost a caterpillar for years...
Unexplained Caterpillar Deaths
None to report in 2020
Caterpillar Diseases and Parasites?
There were no caterpillar disease issues to report in 2020. Check out a pre and post molt of one caterpillar graduating from instar 3 to instar 4:
Accidental Deaths?
There have been two accidental deaths this year...seems fitting for 2020. 🙃
1. This was an odd fluke that happened in an egg hatchery. There was one container with two eggs that looked like they might have fungus issues from the leaves I found them on.
After monitoring, I thought one of the eggs had succumbed to a rust-like fungus that was growing around it. Little did I know, the caterpillar had hatched and crawled under the paper towel that lined the hatchery....there was even a fresh milkweed leaf under the fungusy leaf piece.
This has never happened before so I was shocked to find the dead baby cat as I cleared out the hatchery.
2. On a cold morning in the 3-season porch (low was 40° F), I picked up the floral tube/racks (with milkweed and caterpillars) and walked it into the kitchen without using the boot tray. Two of the cold, lethargic caterpillars fell to the floor. I rescued one...and stepped on the other. 😔
Chrysalis Problems
Chrysalis formation was perfect this season. I conducted 6 removing/rehanging experiments this year: 3 chrysalides hung up with pins, 2 hung up on a microfiber cloth, and 1 taped to the floor:
All 6 butterflies eclosed with no issues and the butterflies were released to join the 2020 monarch migration. The last male emerged Sunday October 11th, and was released on Monday October 12th:
Butterfly Eclosures
All butterflies emerged from their monarch chrysalises without issue.
Final Results
2 accidental deaths
0 disease or parasite issues
0 unexplained death
4 healthy males
5 healthy females
82% survival rate
Lessons Learned?
Of the two caterpillar accidents that occurred this season, one was a fluke that will likely never happen again.
However, the 'stepping' accident could have been easily avoided if I would have just followed my own advice for caterpillar safety. If moving caterpillars outside of the cage, place them on a boot tray so they will never fall on the floor.
I also learned that keeping chrysalides in the 3 season porch at night (during the fall) is a bad idea for our northern region. Cool night time temps slowed down metamorphosis by at least a week, meaning the excellent window I had to release butterflies in warm weather, quickly shrunk to just a few days.
The chrysalises get plenty of exposure to natural lighting and temperatures during the day through open windows. If these monarchs would have been left to fend for themselves outside, their wintry fate would have been sealed...🥶
Also, my preferred way of rehanging chrysalides is pinning the silk to the top of the cage. Really though, all 3 methods work well, so do what you're most comfortable with when you need to rehang a chrysalis.
August 2020 Migration Memory
And now, here’s the part I’m most excited about…hearing about all the valuable lessons you learned raising monarchs over the past few weeks!
Share Your Results?!
Please share your results below by letting 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 2020
348 comments
Raised 58 cats found on my Hello Yellow milkweed from the second week of September until the first week of October. Four of the cats died before going to Chrysalis and 5 died in chrysalis. We have wasps and tachinid flies so I suspect those were the reasons for the losses. Forty-seven butterflies emerged and two more are expected to leave tomorrow. Satisfying work but sure hate loosing even one.
From Newark, De….This is a follow-up to my message 2-3 weeks ago about my first year raising. After releasing my last of 7 butterflies on September 30, I was left with 20 chrysalises that had begun to blacken. I hoped against hope some might open, but as they grew more shriveled, I had to face reality they were dead last week. I pulled them off the mesh ceilings of my cages, and made sure each was nonviable, and discarded them. I think it was the tachinid flies that got them, as pupae fell from them. They were all wild collected, most as large ones late in the season that I feared our many birds would get. I admit I cried when I gave up on them, 20 dead, only 7 successfully raised, a miserable ratio. I honestly don’t know if I will attempt this again next year. We have a Certified Wildlife Property, and this year witnessed nature in all its many raw forms, not just the butterflies. The reality of the food chain is not easy to watch. Just last week I was checking one of our butterfly bushes for feeding butterflies, and saw a Monarch wing…..in the jaws of a large Praying Mantis. The Mantis get so big in the fall. Let’s face it, butterflies are insects, at the bottom of the food chain. So many prey upon them. I prayed it hadn’t eaten my last “child” I released.
I am thrilled so many of you seemed to have great success with your raising efforts this year. Tony’s books and emails were a great resource for me, thank you Tony! Peace and good health to all.
We had a great year releasing 226 in Winnipeg, Canada. Last year we tried an outside enclosure but lost 49 chrysalids in a row to the tiny predators. This year we brought them inside & created a similar to nature area for them. Only lost 8 this year-failure to enclose. My absolute favourite hobby. Trying Black Swallowtails this year…11 overwintering. Now I’m the crazy bird lady & also crazy butterfly lady 😊😊😊…best kind of crazy…
I released about 21 butterflies this fall. 2 failed to come out ! I am still new to this and still learning!
Long story short- I bought what I thought was a just a very pretty plant at a local nursery which turned out being a tropical milkweed. Who knew???
A month after I planted it I noticed a little caterpillar on it and lo and behold, I did some research and learned about the relationship between this plant and monarch butterflies. Pretty soon I noticed a lot of baby caterpillars munching away on the plant and realized that their chance of survival would be much improved if I brought them into the house.
I bought the mesh cages, the stem holders and fell in love with these little guys. Today I released the last two beautiful male monarchs into a bright blue Savannah sky after giving them a bit of honey and water, putting their little legs under a gentle shower of water just in case they were sticky, and set them on cone flowers allowing them to soak up the sun. And off they went. Hopefully they have had a great start on their journey to Mexico!
It’s been quite a journey for me as well. What glorious creatures! The transformation has left me in awe of the Creator!!! And now I’m hooked. I will be looking forward to the coming year to start this adventure all over again.
Who knew that my trip to the nursery that day who put me on a new path to helping these babies get to where they’re meant to go?
I feel like a proud Mom who is sad that her kids have grown up and are on their own! Good health to them!!! I will miss them but look forward to caring for yet another generation of this wonder of creation!