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 fallโs annual monarch migration. The time has come to share your 2020 experience and raise it forwardโฆ
The raising season is coming to an end, so weโd love to hear how many butterflies you released for fallโs annual 2020 monarch migrationโฆand more importantly, what lessons youโve learned through this amazing raising experience?
If youโve still got some raising to do, raise on! But please post in the comment box at the bottom of this page after youโve released your last butterfly.
Every year, I start Raise The Migration in early August, but monarchs raised at that time arenโt actually migration generation butterfliesโฆtheyโre actually the parents to that amazing generation of travelers.
Thereโs 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 regionโฆ
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 companionshipโฆmigratory 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 youโre 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. ๐
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 40ยฐ 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. ๐
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...๐ฅถ
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, hereโs the part Iโm most excited aboutโฆhearing 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 populationโฆremember 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
My husband and I live in Canton,OH. This is our 6th season of raising. Our RTM total this year is 174; the total raised for the season is 295. I learned several lessons this year. Like you,Tony, we also attempted to extend our season by bringing our cats into an enclosed area for weather protection. BIG mistake! We incurred 10 losses that probably wouldnโt have happened had we simply let nature take its course. No more of that from now on. Iโve also had problems in past seasons with milkweed beetles. Noting that they mate and lay eggs on the seed pods, I removed the pods as they developed. The number of beetles decreased significantly. Thanks for all of your help and great advice throughout the year,Tony. Iโm already looking forward and planning for next year!
Our last one left on October 9 for a season total of 495. This was our third year raising monarch butterflies, we also shared over 1500 between eggs and cats among our local group members and to others from our city- county.
For 2020, weโve raised and released 55 this year and a boy 2 days ago. Havenโt kept track but Iโd say 90% were girls. Non-migratory on Oahu, Hawaii but great to see monarchs fluttering around the flowers. Our milkweed โ caloptris gigantia or crown flower, is infested with mites so have to spray them with soap. One caterpillar my son and I found at the middle schoolโs plant that we take care of is in our tent eating and growing.
I agree Tony. I still have 37 chrysalises in southeastern PA. We have had below average temperatures the last few weeks and my chrysalises have been developing very slowly outside. I brought them in to the garage today to speed things up. I wonโt make that mistake again.
We found one caterpillar in May here in SC. We raised and released her. We didnโt find any more until September when I noticed a monarch laying eggs on our milkweed. All told, we took in 24 caterpillars. We released 22! 9 males and 13 females!
Our last two caterpillars were found a bit later than the others. One of them died trying to make its chrysalis, and the other emerged with malformed wings. But, still we had a 92% success rate!
Greenville, SC