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
This was my second year raising monarchs and this year was so much better than last. This year, I had your raising supplies and started off better with finding eggs and keeping the eggs and small “cats” in tupperware containers. This year I successfully raised and released 103 monarchs with 38 part of “Raise the Migration” generation. I live in Michigan and the last group eclosed a bit late…..so I hope they got away in time. I appreciated the information that was sent out and look forward to next summer raising monarchs. It was certainly a great activity to do during the summer of the pandemic. In addition to the monarchs I released, I gave some eggs to friends and relatives to raise and release. It’s an amazing process and many people enjoy seeing it in person or via video. In my two groups, all of the chrysalises happened from the roof of the cage. I was mostly using just leaves, not cuttings then. When I started using cuttings, I had some on the leaves themselves. Is there anything you can do to try to get them to “J” on the roof?
My first year raising monarchs. I started in August, after seeing several large cats disappear from my milkweed. (No chrysalis found either.) I had 25 total eggs/cats. I released 13 females, 8 males. 1 female fell during eclose, I found her at the bottom of the cage with a crumbled lower wing. She could not fly and became a pet. 1 each male and female eclosed with floppy wings, could not hold onto the cage. I euthanized them. 1 cat suffered an accidental death. It was hanging onto the side of a plastic water holder for milkweed. I did not see it as I was cleaning the cage and grabbed it with my hand to refill the water. I raised them on my dining room table, since I do not have a protected outdoor area. Next year I may try to place them in a shaded spot where my husband has been trying to grow hydroponic lettuce. I held all eclosed monarchs overnight and released the next day. Their cage faced our sliding glass doors facing west, and the butters were anxious to get moving. All in all, not a bad start for my first year.
I raised 140 monarch butterflies this year almost 100 less than last year but still it was a good year. All except 10 were raised indoors from eggs. I had no issues with tachnid flies but still had an army of aphids. Only one chrysalis didn’t enclose and only 3 cats didn’t survive. All except 23 were RTM generation. Each butterfly brought enjoyment and beauty which is something we all need this year. I am in central Indiana and I released my last two females on Oct. 13. I hope they have a successful journey!
We collect cats from our garden around 3rd instar and raise on our porch in natural light and temperature.
Months: July to September
First egg: July 13, 2020
First caterpillar sighting: July 18, 2020
First chrysalis: July 30, 2020
T-fly: 2
First release: August 10, 2020
Last release: September 29, 2020
Total healthy releases: 40
~Ohio, west of Cleveland
Well I thought I was done for the season but…52 eggs came in yesterday while gathering food for the few I still have inside. I thought the third generation was small this year but maybe just late? So far I’ve released 249 monarchs almost as many as last years total. I usually strip all milkweed by the end of October but I guess I’ll be raising till Christmas. I’m hoping these babies will stay local at a sanctuary in Goleta Ca not too far away. I only had 1 tachnid fly issue. There were about 20 failure to thrive and 5 chrysalis that never enclosed but by far the worst was the the cat who decided to eat his brother when there was plenty of food. I had to put the poor wounded cat in the freezer, isolate the predator and yes he went on to be a beautiful butterfly I hope I never see this again. All in all a good season but some sad times too.