Q&A for How to Catch and Raise Monarch Caterpillars

If they are on parsley, they are not monarchs. Parsley is a host plant for Eastern black swallowtail. If you have enough parsley and it becomes a chrysalis, butterflies usually won’t fly when temperatures are less than 55 or 60 degrees so many people "overwinter" the chrysalis.

Just put lots of milkweed in your yard and they will come. You can just leave the caterpillars alone if you want, most should do fine outside. You can buy seeds or plants but be careful there aren't pesticides on the plants.

They may not be dead. Leave them be unless you are sure they are dead (liquid or black spots).

No, monarchs only eat milkweed.

Yes, and quite a lot of them since they can eat a lot of milkweed throughout their caterpillar stage. Clean the caterpillar's enclosure every few days to keep the caterpillars healthy.

Don't move or mess with the eggs until they hatch. Once they do, immediately get fresh milkweed leaves. The babies eat their egg shells and then need fresh milkweed leaves to survive.

They will build their chrysalises anywhere from the underside of sticks to the edges of pots. Anywhere that they can hang upside down on and easily get to is a good place.

Usually about 4-5 days. Leave them on the leaf and put it on a wet paper towel inside a food container. Cover it with another paper towel and rubberband over the lid but open it frequently for air. Check it often! Change the milkweed leaf to a young leaf that is tender for the baby to eat.

If you can, leave the plant intact enough to put in water - but make sure the caterpillars can't fall in the water and drown.

No. Monarch caterpillars aren't fuzzy, unless they have a disease. This may be a different type of caterpillar.

Put mesh with a hole in it over a milkweed plant. The caterpillar should go in to find food, but will be unable to find a way out.

If they aren't moving, leave them be. You can check later to see if there are caterpillars in a few days. They may be eggs from another type of butterfly or insect. If you know what kind of plant they are on, search online for the name of the plant and then the word butterfly to see if it's a host plant. Sometimes there are aphids, which are tiny yellow insects that will be moving a lot. Those need to go. They are usually on the tips of the leaves, so I snip the tip off and squish the rest, trying not to hurt the plant.

Only if you have a lot of milkweed available, best if you have a large enough enclosure to put a plant in. Make sure it has air; presumably you have air-holes in the jar lid.

It should be okay, but make sure when the chrysalis hatches the butterfly is upside down so that it can form correctly.

The baby caterpillars eat their eggs to get all the nutrients from the egg shell.

They only eat milkweed plants. The milkweed plant is very hearty. Caterpillars won’t destroy the milkweed plant or any other plant.

Wild animals do not live in AC. It is best to keep caterpillars at a temperature that would be found in nature at that time of year.

They could, but monarch caterpillars are poisonous. The milkweed they eat is poisonous. The birds are very wise not to eat monarchs when they grow up. Some butterflies even impersonate the monarchs so they will not be eaten because the birds know they're poisonous.

It might be, but it won't hurt to try. Just make sure that the caterpillars don't get too cold and that you release the butterflies during a warmer winter day.

Most likely yes. Most monarchs are migratory, so a lot depends on where you are located. Monarch populations west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to coastal California in winter. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico in winter.

If they are sick, they would have black dots or they would leak black liquid.

Typically the caterpillars eat constantly, but occasionally they will rest for a while. Caterpillars may sleep during the night, but they may also be in the prosses of shedding their skin, so it's best to leave them alone. You should only be concerned if the caterpillar hasn't moved for a few days.

Be sure the butterfly is always kept in a clean environment. He's already in a pretty below-average state, so any illnesses he contracts could only worsen his life. Also, he is very susceptible to attacks from other animals, such as lizards and birds. Finally, when replacing food, be sure to place it near him.

Caterpillars are used to sunlight, but too much direct light is not good for them.

It should survive. Keep in mind a lot of monarchs have a disease called OE. The chrysalis has black spots and the butterfly comes out deformed or can't fly. It's common and not your fault.

Put mesh with a hole in it over a milkweed plant. The caterpillar should go in to find food but will be too busy eating to look for a way out.

Yes, they can. It's usually best to separate the smaller ones just to be on the safe side.

Typically, female monarchs lay no more than half a dozen eggs per plant. In the wild, they'll only lay 1-4. In captivity, they can lay as many as one dozen eggs.

Look around large sunny fields, the edges of woods or forest. Occasionally, milkweed can be found in large ditches that aren't mowed.

Monarch caterpillars are poisonous, so it is not likely that they are being eaten by birds or other animals.