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
I released thirty-seven Monarchs this season. All were named after friends and loved ones, living and in memoriam. We recorded each release on my phone and put them all up on Facebook, messaging those whom we honored.
I had no monarchs in the spring. A friend gave me 10 monarch eggs in June – all hatched. 8 flew away. A male and female stayed around and began laying eggs. As of Sept 17, we had released 69 butterflies. It was almost even between males and females. Next year we must have more polinators – have lots of milkweed but few flowers. I also quarantine caterpillars from outside because of the technid flies – we did have some deaths from that. The technid grubs are pretty creepy! We started this in 2016 and have learned a lot since then. Now I raise them inside. Thanks for your help over the years.
I live in rural Ligonier, Pa
I first began years ago taking chrysalis’s inside and taping them to the bottoms of my porch chairs to save them from chrysalis predators.
To now, maybe 7 years later, collecting any and all cats no matter their size as they will undoubtedly be parasited before reaching 3rd In star. Better chances as a minuscule mite than perishing to the numerous obnoxious non indigenous critters that take out any and all bugs. Instant fire lighters work great on delicate bug bodies and their eggs😈
I released 21 last year and 23 this season, three less then I had hoped. The final three were sicklisis’s. I saved them just Incase but grubs crawled out. SMASH!
This year I purchased the big cage as I use a modified tomato cage with dowel rods tied across. I attach milk weed leaves to the circles with new clothes pins and wet paper towel balls to keep some moisture in the leaf longer. None of them used the rods, but they did last year??
I did have 4 chrysalis on the zipper , fortunately I could open one side or the other. Little buggers! I spent a lot of time scolding them, to no avail! And I learned last year not to touch them once they are at a stand still. Last year I encouraged one to move after it had been still for a few hours and I had to suffer through it not being able to put out webbings again. He had moved on his own, but it was my fault! I learned this year that he probably would have managed, maybe not, but once in a chrysalis it may have been okay. Oh well. I just keep saying I saved 23. I had two die in J form, about 5-6 chrysalis’s be parasited in cat form, and two dead in the cage bottom. Since one of the final three deaths were barely visible I don’t know what killed it, maybe OE.
I released my final female butterfly a week ago maybe. I had watched a video on feeding newly hatched butterflies with a 1-6 mixture of organic honey and water. Long story and I tried to do it with the final late season critters and couldn’t get any to cooperate. I even tried to get them to take it off a flower they like. Nope. I put her in the sun and off she flew to flutter around the yard all day. Doubt she flew anywhere else. Suggestions on feeding would be nice, I tried a glass flower with cotton ball soaked in the honey nectar. No way!
So that’s my story for 2020, certainly the highlight of a buggered up year for sure.
This was my first year to raise monarchs. I brought in 305 caterpillars all different sizes and released 243 butterflies. I still have 18 crystalis. The tachnid fly was relentless. Any body have any ideas on how to get rid of them, please share with me. I put up fly traps, but did not help much. The maggots would drop from the crystalis or I had the Black Death caterpillar. It was very frustrating. I had trouble finding enough milkweed, the farmers kept spraying to kill it. I absolutely loved the miracle that happens. Thank you Tony for all your work and information. It is because of you, I could help the monarch population. Thank you so very much.
Kathy Patti
Freeland, Maryland
Hello they call me butterfly Mike here in Baltimore Maryland a little town called Dundalk. I have a nice butterfly garden out front with lots of milkweed. I have been bringing in the caterpillars with some milkweed in my butterfly cage net. I have released over 20 monarchs to the wild out front. I have a lot of parsley with black swallowtail caterpillars on I’m going to bring those in and do the same. Like I said I’m in Dundalk Maryland 21222. Been here my whole life and had a encounter with a monarch when I was six years old.I fell in love with him and been in love with them ever since.as a kid I always had a butterfly net in my hand and I still do now at 59 thanks for letting me share.