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Monarch Identification Bookmark/Chart
This 2-sided chart can be used to identify the sex of adult butterflies, the instar stages of caterpillars and to help find monarch eggs. Available on this website and Art Fire.
Monarch Butterfly Posters & Photos
Several monarch butterfly photos are available as posters and giclee photos on this website, Imagekind, Fine Art America, and Art Fire.
Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis Poster
This educational poster includes 33 photos with commentary that highlight the differences between the sexes, an example of common milkweed, a monarch egg hatching, a caterpillar shedding its skin, the 5 instar stages, a caterpillar changing to a chrysalis, the changes in the chrysalis, and the butterfly emerging. Great for butterfly buffs. Perfect for teachers, especially if you raise monarchs in your classroom. Various sizes are available on this website, Art Fire, Imagekind, Cafe Press, and Fine Art America.
Shane’s Monarch Book, 2nd Edition
My son loves small books and he wanted a picture book of the monarchs. So I made one ACEO sized. This 14 page book has photos showing the metamorphosis cycle. I let Shane help pick the photos, so some are different from the poster. 2.5"x3.5". Available on this website and Art Fire.
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With a bug collecting container in hand, Shane (photo A), is searching for eggs (photo B1), which are about 1mm in length, and caterpillars (photo B2)on the milkweed plants, the host plant of the monarch. Because monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed and the eggs are laid singly on milkweed (usually on the underside of the leaves) our quest for more food usually leads to acquiring more caterpillars and eggs. When we find an egg or small caterpillar (larva), we usually take the whole leave to avoid injury to the egg or larva. Caterpillars that are 1" or longer can be handled safely. Note that we put a damp paper towel on the bottom of the bug container to keep the humidity high so the leaves don’t wilt by the time we get home.
In our area (south-eastern Pennsylvania) we have noticed that the monarchs and milkweed appear around the beginning of May and continue through October or the first hard frost. Some areas, like Florida, have monarchs all year long. The height of our season is July through August. In order to raise monarchs, you will have to have a good supply of milkweed.
Milkweed is a perennial (dies off during the winter and comes back in the spring). C1 shows common milkweed in bloom at a local park and C2 shows the common milkweed seed pods. I prefer to feed these to my larvae because the leaves are large and the plants are abundant at local parks and roadsides. I’m trying to grow more in my own yard. C3 is swamp milkweed and when it blooms, I’ll take a new photo for you. C4 shows butterfly weed flowers and seed pods at a local park. In 2009 I added a few dozen of these to my gardens. C5 was taken in my garden and is tropical milkweed, which is an annual when grown in Pennsylvania, but a perennial down South. The seed pods (not shown) look much like the butterfly weed seed pods. The female monarchs perfer laying their eggs on this variety to the others in my garden. You can purchase milkweed plants and seeds online. Local nurseries also may carry milkweed plants. We’ve found that tropical and swamp milkweed root readily in water.
As an interesting side note, I read one scientifc study (click on Latest Research and then study #2) that suggested the tropical milkweed properties are better at fighting the Oe parasite (see the Monarch Diseases and Parasites page for info on Oe) than the swamp milkweed. In which case, we'll just use the swamp milkweed to lure them to our yard and then use our other types of milkweed to feed them. The study didn’t cover butterfly weed or common milkweed. Also note that because of Oe, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, we immerse our milkweed in 10% bleach (1 part bleach + 9 parts water) for 20 minutes and then rinsed with plain water before feeding it to the caterpillars. This is the method used by scientists. I usually collect a bunch of milkweed, bleach it and keep it in a slidelock bag in the frig until I need it. It usually keeps about 1 week. After removing it from the frig, I rinse it with warm water to take off the chill and pat it dry.
If you run out of milkweed or it’s out of season, another alternative is to purchase the Monarch Artificial Diet made by Educational Science. I have not tried this. It has to be introduced to your larvae as 1st or 2nd instars. Older monarchs will not eat it if they have eaten real milkweed.
Sometimes when we find eggs or small larvae, they are not on the best of leaves and should be moved. You could use a small paintbrush or tooth pick to carefully move a 2nd or 3rd instar larva to a new leaf, but the 1st instars and eggs are easier to move using by cutting out a small piece of milkweed and transferring it to a good leaf. First I scratch an area of the new leaf with an exacto knife blade (photo D1) so that the sticky milk bleeds. Then I cut out the smallest possible piece of milkweed leaf without harming the egg or larva. I stab the tiny piece of milkweed with the knife (photo D2) and seat it on the puddle of sticky milk (photo D3). The bad piece may look nasty after 2 or 3 days (eggs may take a few days to hatch), but that has not been a problem for us. After the egg hatches and/or the larva moves off the bad piece of milkweed, I quickly remove the bad piece.
While monarchs are picky about their diet, they are not picky about their housing. In 2007 the monarchs lived in our old plastic aquarium (photo E1). At first they shared their space with a woolly bear, who was a fast-moving caterpillar that dined on my daylily leaves, but then we moved Mr. Woolly to his own container so that Shane could play with him without disturbing the monarchs.
In the aquarium I placed 2 glass dishes filled with stones and water. The water level had to be kept below the top layer of stones to prevent accidental drowning of small caterpillars – we learned this the hard way. The stones anchored the leaves or stalks and kept them fresh until devoured. You could also cover the jars with plastic wrap or similar and poke the milkweed stalks (it wouldn't work so well with leaves) through the wrap to provide further protection for the small larvae. I usually put a leaf or 2 on the bottom of the tank in case someone fell or wandered and needed a snack. If there were large caterpillars, I also placed sticks in the aquarium for chrysalis formation. I anchored each stick in a separate jar with stones or marbles so that it could be removed without disturbing the chrysalis too much.
You could house the monarchs in a plastic container like Mr. Woolly’s (photo E2), which has a hole cut out of the lid and a piece of screen taped over it. You could also use a jar with holes punched in the top (photo E3). However, please note that 1st and 2nd instars can escape these containers if they decide to wander, which is common when shedding their skin.
Since we are reporting our data to MLMP, we separate our caterpillars/eggs by collection location, date and age. No matter the style, each container has a sticky note with the ID number of the monarchs inside, the date collected, the stage (egg/instar) at collection and location. All of this data and more is also kept on a spreadsheet.
For eggs, 1st instars and 2nd instars we use Chinese food containers without holes (E4). We’ve found they work the best to prevent accidental escape. We keep a damp paper towel in the containers to keep the humidity up so the leaves do not wilt so quickly. I open these everyday to check on the monarchs and to provide fresh air. The leaves and towels are changed as necessary to prevent disease. We have also done the same with the plastic shoe box in photo E6, but I did have one larva try to escape and qet squished between the lid and container. Of all the containers shown, only E4 is too shallow for a butterfly to eclose -- you should move a 5th instar or chrysalis to a larger container.
For 3rd instar and larger caterpillars we use plastic containers that can house 5-10 large caterpillars (E6, E7) and have holes in the lids. We also use plastic soup containers (E5) with netting overtop secured by a rubber band for sick caterpillars or ones that need to be separated for some reason. Regardless of the style of housing, each container is lined with a dry paper towel and given fresh bleached milkweed. Since the larger caterpillars produce copious amount of frass (poop), you need to cut down on the moisture to prevent fungal disease. I clean the containers 1-3 times a day depending on the amount of frass. If there is a sick or dead caterpillar, I remove it immediately. A sick caterpillar is then kept in its own container. The containers are cleaned with 20% bleach (2 parts bleach + 8 parts water) and rinsed with plain water after its occupants have emerged. If there were sick/dead caterpillars in it, I immediately bleach clean it and allow it to soak for several hours or overnight before rinsing and reusing.
A word of warning: caterpillars can be cannibalistic! Make sure your caterpillars have plenty of room, milkweed, and you keep them separated by size. In one incidence, we had a 4th instar eat 4 2nd instars and attack a 5th caterpillar (whom I rescued). Although they had plenty of space, I guess the 4th instar felt crowded on the remaining milkweed.
After the butterfly emerges, it will be several hours before she is fully dry. The butterfly needs to stretch her wings (photo F1) while hanging onto something rough. If the butterfly is unable to hang and let her wings dry, then they will dry folded and she will not be able to fly. We came up with 2 quick emerging cages, which prevent our guests from flying around the house and getting into trouble with our cats. The first is a large snack container (photo F2) with a piece of burlap (screen material also works well) dangling inside the container and a piece of nylon mesh over the opening. The second is a mesh shower tote (photo F3) I found at the drugstore on sale for $3. Either of these containers can be disinfected if the butterfly is infected with Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. I also dispose of any sticks after one use to prevent potential spread of parasites. If we are unable to release the butterfly within 6-8 hours, we also provide fresh flowers and/or a sponge soaked with fruit juice (photo M2). The local butterfly house also feeds their butterflies mashed banana or melon.
We keep our monarchs in our guest room (photo G), which our cats can’t get to. They are away from direct sunlight and airconditioners. The temperature and humidity are kept pretty consistent throughout the day. You can see the large pink mesh emerging container on the floor. It’s actually a hamper with a piece of screen 1/2 sewn to the top, leaving a flap opening that can be fastened with safety pins.
Larvae do not always attach themselves to the most ideal surfaces. After several hours, the new chrysalis is dry enough to move. To do this, carefully scrap it off the surface (photo H1) with an exacto knife and then glue it to a stick with a super glue or a thick craft glue. The easiest method is to tie it by the cremaster (photo H2) and then scrap it off and tie it to a stick (photo H3) or screen (E5, F3 or the mesh container in G). You can also do this if you want to weigh the chrysalis periodically as the butterfly develops. The chrysalis needs to hang vertically for the butterfly to develop properly, so do not spend too much time weighing it. If you have a chrysalis that has fallen, you can also tie it up (you may need a dab of glue to keep the thread attached to the cremaster).
Near the end of July we order our tags from Monarch Watch. They include directions on how to tag the monarch. From August onward, we tag all of the monarchs we raise and release (photo I) as well as any catch & release butterflies (wild monarchs caught for the purpose of tagging). Any monarchs that are found and reported will be listed on their website. The data helps the scientists study the migration patterns of the North American monarchs. Except for some of the monarchs in the Gulf areas, the monarchs east of the Rockies migrate south to Mexico. The monarchs west of the Rockies migrate to southern California.
These sites sell eggs, caterpillars, butterflies and milkweed.
Monarch Watch Extensive biological information on monarchs. You can purchase caterpillars from them. We get our tagging kits through this group.
Butterfly Encounters A great source for a variety of milkweed seeds. We have purchased seeds from them.
Butterflybushes.com You can purchase eggs and caterpillars from this website. I have purchased milkweed plants from them. You may want to order early, as they usually sell out quickly.
Educational Science You can purchase eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies from this website. They also sell special monarch food and a disinfectant for disease problems.
Live Monarchs You can purchase eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies from this website in addition to milkweed plants and seeds.
Seneca Hill Perennials You can purchase milkweed plants from them.