This makes me feel better, Ive been raising monarchs for about 4 years now, because of your videos. I have about 4 butterfly houses, and this year I have 4 eggs. I always give my very best efforts helping the monarch butterflies, keeping them separate so that they don’t eat each other, to Defending the milk weed patch growing outside my bedroom window when my parents wanted to mow it down. I always give each caterpillar a fresh leaf every day, take them with me if we go camping, washing and wrapping the leaves with paper towels. It’s reassuring to me that even though I might only have 4 this year (They all just hatched yesterday 🎉) That im still helping to make a difference.
The four you have, it means the world to them. And I applaud you on the defending of your milkweed. Extend to your parents, if you wish, my own personal thanks for allowing you to keep it. You have some cool folks, for sure. Thank them for me, and let them know, they have an aspiring conservationist on their hands! Good luck with your four!
Very interesting video! I'll apologize in advance for the long comment. The monarchs I raise are what I consider to be rescue monarchs. I don't need to go get them from an untouched field or anything like that. I let nature take its course. However, I'm surrounded by dirt roads and tiny little milkweed plants like to grow on the edge of the road. In some cases, I'm finding eggs on milkweed that is 1.5 inches high. If a car pulls over or the grader does maintenance or when the municipality goes by to cut the vegetation down along the side of the road, there goes those caterpillars' chance of survival. This is actually why I started raising monarchs again. Years ago, they had cut the vegetation down and while I was walking my dogs, I noticed cut down and dried up milkweed laying on the edge of the road. I decided to pick it up and take a peek and found 2 eggs. I brought them home, cut them out like you do and placed them on a fresh leaf. 1 survived, the other didn't. But that one would have starved to death if I didn't bring it home. That's when I decided I needed to help them. I'm up to 64 this year (all rescue ones from the road) and I'm starting to get concerned about what I can maintain. I can do 64, it will be the most I've raised but I'm comfortable with that number. I have enough milkweed sources and I feel that I have the time to keep things sanitary for this amount. But I feel terribly guilty about leaving eggs out on the road that have no chance of surviving. That's the dilemma I'm struggling with.
I sympathize completely, and think situations like these are why restrictions to 10 a season might be short sighted. Two days after filming this, on sprouted shoots to soon be mowed down at my in-laws, I found 14 eggs. All were doomed by a mower. Further, on the in-laws' adult milkweed plants, no eggs were found. And even in this episode, after the filming, I never did find any eggs on those adult plants in the background. The two at the intro were the only two found in that location. The females tend to prefer new shoots due to the tender leaves and lack of established predators. As stated in a response to another comment, I'm currently at 37 taken in, and 20+ of those finds have come from what would be considered "doomed" milkweed where the Monarch egg never stood a chance of survival. In these cases, 10 or even 20 seems restrictive to me. I appreciate your comment, and no need for the apologies. Details help, and I'm long typed myself at times. Thank you for rescuing the Monarchs that you have!🙏
I look to your videos for information and inspiration every monarch season. You rescued me some years back when I found about 20 cats stripping the few milkweeds plants I had. I "devoured" your videos for the information (and confidence) to find them the food they needed. I brought them in my screened porch because the wasps and birds were already taking them. We were mesmerized as they transformed in front of our eyes. Each season is different. I have more milkweed but sometimes few monarchs. I go with what nature brings. I do harvest a few eggs or up to my limit of management. 20 is stop point for me but that depends on the season. I confess I did bring one with a damaged wing indoors for a winter. I left her in the garden initially but she just would be there the next day fluttering as I walked by. Everyday I could not believe that she was still alive and no one had eaten her. Tinkerbell lived at least 5 months, resting in houseplants and feeding on dilute honey. She even traveled to Florida with us in her mesh tent. Ironically, she was taken by a bird on a lovely spring day while sunning on the deck! Circle of life. Thank you for sharing your passion. #RealCatLady
Hi there, been with you from the start. Have an offical registered Monarch Waystation in my garden in metro Detroit. Just watched your NPV video as I woke up this week to the diaster of losing 50 cats in multiple stages in many rearing containers. In an already low population szn I've felt gutted. Seems like something hit before I could contain it. Never had an issue before so I had skipped bleach but rinsed leaves. Ugh. I am in TLC mode with my few healthy ones. Released 10 🦋 before the outbreak. Thanks for the reminders to focus on milkweeds, advocation, and education. I always ask new people to release my monarch, the mail person or young neighbors + they are hooked on helping. Much love to all the earth guardians out there. Keep on going.🧡
I love your videos!! This is where I came when I was first learning about raising Monarchs and credit you for most of what helped me in getting started! Thank you!
I kindly thank you for that. I feel honored. I do wish to always advocate, though, always consult other sources too! It's not possible for me to always hold the entire picture, and it's a vast one. Multiple sources of info keeps science healthy! But still, the sentiment is taken, and I appreciate it much. 🙏 Good luck with your season!
I agree with quality over quantity. When I started out a few years back, I had a small balcony apartment and my milkweed was in planters and two pots. I found out the hard way that predators can invade second story plants, and out of 30 cats, only 2 made it to the butterfly stage. I moved to house and raised 50 one year, and reached my limit. Last year, massive pest problems brought me to my knees and I only released 8 healthy adults. I made a change this year; my milkweed is out of pots and in the ground. The goal is to have several forests of milkweed and supportive plants to let nature take its course. I will finish hand raising those who make it to third or fourth instar, if I find them. If I release 5 butterflies, I’ll be very happy. I feel the same about my black swallowtail cats…but they require more work because they take longer to grow and have to be overwintered. Quality matters.
Even if the goal is forests, and you only make it to half of one forest, you'll have performed an amazing contribution! I was able to check out some haunts in my previous location and see that some milkweed areas I got going (not huge, but spreading) are still there. It's satisfying to know that though I'm not in that area, some Monarchs have those options after I'm gone. Rearing Monarchs can be very rewarding...but the planting of milkweed is the long term solution. 😃👍
Last year I released 100 monarchs. Some I brought in as eggs and some as cats. I have 5 or 6 kinds of milkweed planted to feed them and it take a lot for that many monarchs. This year one of my milkweed varieties got a disease so I had to cut it to the ground. I'm not sure I will have enough milkweed to feed as many as I did last year. Yes, I do mow down the ones that get in the lawn. This is the first year I'm having that issue so before I mow I will check the plants in the lawn for eggs before I mow and pull up the plants to try and control it from spreading. HaHa. The Monarchs usually show up in my area in the middle of Kansas around the end of July or early August so they should be appearing soon. Raising monarchs is a lot of work but very rewarding. Last year I spent 3 to 4 hours a day checking my milkweed for eggs and cats, cleaning cages, moving the newly hatched cats to other cages and gathering milkweed to feed them. I don't expect to raise that many this year...I think last year was an exceptional year for me. But I will take what I get and hopefully have enough milkweed to keep them fed.
That all sounds highly thought out and responsible. It sounds like they are in good hands. Be prepared in checking the sprouts, though...I recently found 14 on soon to be mowed down shoots at my in-laws just a couple days after filming this one. From my experience, the females tend to prefer the new shoots to lay eggs on. It's been pretty consistent that way over the years. Much luck to you with your season, and thank you for your comment! 😃👍🙏
I'm in Ontario and this has been a slow year for me as well (although the most I've ever had in one year was 11). My milkweed garden is the biggest I've had and yet I've only found one caterpillar so far - extremely early in the season for me. I found the caterpillar in June and released her on July 8th. I absolutely agree with quality over quantity. I think some people get caught up in trying to rear as many as possible, but even just doing 10 is fulfilling and helping the population. And as you said, the most important aspect of this is planting milkweed as the monarch population cannot survive without an abundant food source! I'm surrounded by farms and have seen caterpillars die from milkweed that's been sprayed with pesticide. It's so important to plant milkweed to ensure that there are clean plants that are not tainted with chemicals. I think the idea of milkweed becoming protected habitat is interesting. I'd love to see it happen but not sure of the logistics of this - it truly does grow like a weed (my garden is over crowded with it despite only actually planting a few this year!). I'd love to see more protected conservation areas that are abundant with milkweed as opposed to making it a protected habitat in everyone's backyard.
First year, 23 released, just getting started. Year 2, 152 and learning so much! Last year God blessed me with the successful release of 914 breathtaking souls. I live in central Michigan where milkweed is abundant...it's everywhere!
900+ does sound like quite the undertaking. But there's certainly some areas of Michigan where milkweed supplies are plentiful. I know the year 300+ was taxing for me. Without assistants, I don't know how I myself would have been able to go past 600, but I wasn't really looking to. I would say, in the last decade, driving around different Michigan neighbor hoods at times for this or that reasons, I've noticed that there are a lot more milkweed plants in obvious yard gardening areas. A lot more intentional milkweed, in other words. That's very encouraging to see, and a noticeable difference compared to ten years ago!
It is my sole focus during warm months and I probably devote 35-40 hrs per week doing "butterfly shenanigans". I don't go anywhere overnight during this time. My family supports my commitment to the monarch. Since becoming disabled this has become one of the things that gives life meaning.
I definitely agree that less is more and that it should be quality over quantity. I think 10-20 is a good, safe number. I used to go on a couple Monarch groups on Facebook and people there would constantly brag about how many Monarchs they raised (some raised 500-1000, even with OE and other issues going on) and it really bothered me, so I left. I read some studies that raising that many really doesn't do any good for the population (I think the study was by the Xerces Society). When you're raising that many, most people will not do it responsibly (check for OE, make sure the raising environment is clean, not crowd them, etc). I think people think they're helping, but they're doing more harm. That's probably why it's illegal to raise them in California (where I live). I think it's illegal to even touch a Monarch caterpillar or butterfly here unless you have a permit. I know people don't like that here, but I honestly think it's for the best.
Yowza...I have never been a part of FB, so I'm not privy to these groups (and zero plans to be part of FB). All I can speak on would be my own experience, and I know from my 300+ season, what that felt like, and as a teacher, I have my summer schedule flexible enough to source milkweed and sanitize...and still that was a lot of work. Even so, I know of a retired couple I've spoken to over the years who both do the work, maintain sanitation, test for parasites, all of it, and pretty effectively have 500-700 released each year. So, I know that responsible high numbers are possible. But, I do agree, such a situation might be a rare case, and if many were looking to get into always increasing the number (without asking if there's a reason to), that could eventually lead to lowered care conditions for the Monarchs reared, and increases the risk of disease/parasite breakouts. In other cases, though, I think numbers as low as 10 or 20 could and should be debated. My wife's parents are out of town. Last week, I mowed their lawn, and as always, I pull out any milkweed shoots that sprouted up and check them for eggs, rather than have them face the mower. There were many of these shoots that would have been mowed, and I found 14 eggs in total on them. I've so far taken in 37 eggs/cats, and easily more than 20 of them have come from "doomed" milkweed situations. Setting a limit of even 20 seems restrictive, to me. From a teacher's view, I know of many teachers who do amazing lessons on responsible conservation, and Monarchs in the classroom in the fall is some of the most engaging situations that can be created, and students look forward to. The educational value is priceless, and it can be done very responsibly. If standards limit such things to 20 (or less), many teachers would be hindered in what they do. And while perhaps applications for more than 20 (or whatever a number that's set might be, if a number is ever set) could be set up for educational reasons, it puts another barrier gate to unlock in the teaching world, and some teachers simply wouldn't do it. A number like 50? That feels like much more breathing room for hobbyists, educators, and conservationists, but that is only my humble opinion. And my opinion is just that. Only an opinion. This is all great and healthy discussion, though! Cool to hear from so many on this, as well. Thank you for your feedback, and continued support of the Monarchs! 🙏🦋
@@MrLundScience I definitely do agree with you that 50 (or a bit higher) would be a good number, especially for educators who will do it responsibly. I was mainly referring to just regular people doing it for fun (I know the Xerces Society recommends 10 or lower for states where it's not illegal to raise them, but I think that's geared toward people doing it for a hobby/fun and not education). I know California requires a Scientific Collecting Permit for teachers, but I'm not sure how difficult it is to get or what is involved. More studies are definitely needed to show the impact of mass raising on Monarch populations. I just think it's wrong when people mass raise them (irresponsibly) and make it into a numbers contest with others (like I encountered on Facebook about 2-3 years ago... hopefully things have changed, as I know the mods of those groups began discouraging it before I left). Then it's not about the health of the Monarchs anymore or about helping the environment; it becomes a selfish endeavor. Again, just my opinion. : ) If you do it responsibly with the best intentions and not as a contest, I see no issues. Also, just FYI, I don't think the California law is discouraging a lot of regular people here from raising Monarchs. I know several people in my local Monarch conservation group and on my street that still do it. But they're incredibly hush-hush about it. But the law really sucks for educators, I definitely agree. I always enjoy your videos and hope you continue to make more.
The numbers have been very low in Chicago due to loss of habitat unfortunately people keep on removing milkweed on their property around my house also there's too many predators this year Earwigs have been very bad this summer. I have a large milkweed patch in my garden and will continue to advocate for planting more milkweed around the neighborhood. Thank You for all that you do for our Monarchs. 🦋🦋🦋
I applaud you for your advocacy in your neighborhood. Depending upon the person, their knowledge and ability to do so, advocacy can be very effective. And I sympathize with the earwigs. They are at the top of my stalks each morning, sleeping in! Thank you for your efforts with the Monarchs as well. Your milkweed offers them options! 🙏🦋🦋🦋😃
I have exactly 11 bugs. Most have chrysalized the past few days. 2 more in J tonight. One little baby. Pretty happy about that. And a nice milkweed patch. Lots of ants and other stuff but the chickens are doing a good job of keeping the bad bugs from getting on the milkweed.
Am I understanding that we only need to be concerned about raising outside when we are doing the migratory monarchs? I started doing all raising outside, including eggs. I also want to thank you about emphasizing native pollinators and milkweed needing to be increased. I ammfollowing the Home Grown National Park idea and converting half my lawn into native pollinator habitat. I also bought just iver 5.5 acres of abandoned horse pasture to rehab. A lot of us are trying. We just need guidance (like yoirs) to help us.
Greetings! The quick answer is yes, I myself am only fully rearing outdoors with eggs I find starting the last week of July (which is now). While this link I'm adding is a 19 minute video, the first two minutes discusses the very part you are asking about: "Raising Monarchs - Outdoor Rearing" ruclips.net/video/LjEgU0Ub5hY/видео.html And if you liked the pollinator part, you'll likely enjoy an upcoming episode that has portions of it already filmed. Might not be the *next* one out (or might be...tough to say, actually) but it will come out this season. A lot of you are trying, and you are seen. I see you, for sure. I'll do my best, if people are turning to me to guidance (as they certainly seem to be, these days), and I promise to always try to offer responsible, accurate information to the best of my ability. I see that as the only way science stays healthy. 🙏😃👍✌ Thank you for your efforts towards helping out the Monarchs. You aren't alone.
I just found a monarch butterfly who fell after hatching and now can not fly. The wings are all crinkled and she won't be able to survive in the wild. Can you make an updated video on how to care for crippled butterflies? How to feed them, the best type of enclosure, etc.? I really want her to live as long and comfortably as she can.
He has a video on OE and it sounds like it is OE. Do not keep it alive even if you quarantine it. It is sad but the OE is so so contagious. If you got it from your yard then cut the milkweed back to the ground so when it grows back and be good with OE. Clean the enclosure with a bleach/water mixture. Watch his video about OE.
Greetings Anais! I'm very sorry to hear of the finding of the butterfly in that way. I've been there before, and many of us have. When dealing with an adult Monarch (or any butterfly for that matter) that can not fly, it can be a trying time for us, as it obviously is for them. I'm not sure if you've already seen it, but on this topic, an episode exists, "When Adults Can't Fly" - ruclips.net/video/XfuTlASal_U/видео.html In that episode, three options are mentioned, along with their logic behind them. It sounds like you've chosen already, though, to care for the Monarch and allow it to experience life throughout it's days. I consider any of the three options in the episode respectable ones, so I certainly find your decision here respectable as well. That said, I must apologize to you in advance, but it wouldn't be a responsible choice for me to make such a video you've requested. (Absolutely no worries about asking! You obviously have a great heart and good intention!) Please consider, though, if I were to make such a video, there could be many out there who would misuse such information, in order to house healthy Monarchs that should truly be released. I hope you understand my reasoning.🙏 I will certainly say this, though...your flightless Monarch still certainly loves nectar producing flowers, along with sunlight to warm itself. If you are truly searching for the "best" environment for him/her to spend out their days, if you have the means and the location, I would seek out the closest butterfly house, if that's a possibility. Typically, such places will not take in such an individual (due to disease/parasite reasons and needing to protect their own butterflies) but they may have information on if they know of an option for where their injured butterflies are kept/housed. Talking to people at butterfly houses is often a very excellent resource. I hope this helps, and I wish you luck with your injured Monarch. Sounds like he/she is in caring hands. 🦋❤👍
OE could be a possibility. Here is that link: ruclips.net/video/kkZTfeFVMiE/видео.html Though, this might be the video that needs an update. I cringe so much each time I hear me say "bacteria". I knew better, 100%, but the word just was stuck in my mouth and kept coming out. 🤦♂️😃
I didn't get a lot of milkweed this year, so I can only take in maybe 10 to 15 eggs. In my backyard any eggs left outside don't have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving. Way too many predators.
Even with my recent attempts to deter ants off my milkweed with cinnamon, there's an occasional ant enough, not to mention earwigs, where I think it'd be pretty tough for an egg to make it even to the hatching stage on my home milkweed. In the short time I've been here, there's been twice that I've found a hatched egg, with no sign of the caterpillar. I'm pretty sure the ants find and gobble eggs if I don't find them first, and any cats that might make it out of the egg. Yep...predators in my new area definitely mean business. I wish you luck with your 10-15! 👍
I think when raising Monarchs you need to consider the Milkweed you have or sources where you can get what you need-one year I reached my limit at about 12 they eat alot and I noticed they prefer younger plants the leaves are softer and thinner they tended to steer clear of the older leaves that are thicker
First year 30+ released in August and September so thinking they were the super generation. Last year very sad 😢 I only released 3. I got some kind of Black Death virus. Experimenting with growing various types of milkweed in pots. I have had success with swamp milkweed. I live in Md. I felt lucky as I found several little catipillars early and have already released 4. I have 4 more in chrysalis. I would love to message/chat with you about pruning of milkweed. I could share my experiences and genetics and releasing of butterflies in different areas.
I live south of Ottawa Ontario and I have been successful in the last three years. My garden if S full of three different types of milkweed and I now have an infestation of greenfly on the milkweed, not the orange flowers ones. My question is does this deter the monarch from laying eggs on the leaves that have greenfly. I have seen a few monarchs but they are not laying eggs??
Greetings! I'm not sure if you are referencing the greenfly aphid, or green fly as in green bottle fly. Assuming it's the aphids, if there are enough of them to cause sticky excretion on the milkweed, damage the leaves enough to misshapen them, or start to attract ants/wasps because of their sugary excrement, yes, Monarchs will be less likely to lay eggs on such milkweed. If the infestation isn't too bad, females still might lay eggs, and in the field, I've still found eggs on milkweed that has obvious aphids on it, but it's definitely not very common. If you are meaning the green bottle fly (which I don't think you are, but just in case) I would say that a strange attraction of them to milkweed would likely deter Monarchs from the plant just due to how busy an area with flies might be. Further, when I have seen flies (green bottle or otherwise) attracted to milkweed, it tends to be due to the sugary excrement of aphids on the plants, and we're back to what was mentioned above. If you're battling the aphids, the previous episode, "Cinnamon, Ants, and Aphids" fleshes out some details about them, and might be worth a gander. ruclips.net/video/DhhMMbVtSGA/видео.html Good luck to you!
Greetings Alex. I have a traditional table top laboratory grade microscope (was given it by a school where it needed repair, was going to be thrown out, but if I could salvage and fix it, it could become mine). It'd probably be around $200 if a modern one was purchased these days. I also have a handheld microscope which an internet search can show equally similar results to by searching "handheld microscope". These range in prices from $10 - $20 on the internet, and I have a cheaper one, and it works fine. And in some cases, I'm using a handheld jewler's eye magnifier (quality ones are about $20) and focusing my camera through it. All of these options are employed, depending upon the shot. I hope this helps!
@@MrLundScience I actually have a Carson microflip 100x- 250 i love it, it came with a smart phone adapter clip so i can take pictures, i mean i guess thats all i really need, just was looking for a compact desktop microscope, i have a few that i was looking for online.
Sigh… most things in nature seem to improve when we leave them alone. I was thinking monarchs were the exception. Hopefully they will have some kind of citizen scientist program. As long as I can still watch the caterpillars, I don’t care if I handle them, I suppose. I have two second instars here in soggy Minnesota. Slow year.
@@MrLundScience oh my goodness. I purchased something called a Bug baffler. It’s a mesh hood that I wear over my head anytime I go in my yard. I don’t love the idea of having deet on my face, and the mosquitoes will attack your face. They love to follow me into the house, where I stop at nothing to track them down and whack them. This typically leaves a mosquito-shaped smudge on the wall that resembles a cave painting. Did I mention they’re huge? Though I have fond memories of working in the entomology lab in college, (identifying mosquitoes by species) they’re not welcome in my current life 😂.
Is it unethical and/or illegal to dig up milkweed on roadways to transplant to my garden. Especially if its milkweed that gets mowed down anyway? Will it survive a transplant? I grew 15 milkweed from babies that i bought online this spring and the landcapers ripped them all out; by the roots. They may as well have ripped out my heart while they were at it. I'm desperate for more.
Hey all I have 3 big balloon milkweed plants that are over 5 or 6 feet tall. They look great, and I do see monarchs on them or at least in yard occ. No cats found though! Last year I found a whole bunch, but it was closer to late fall. (I live in southern California). Does anyone out there have experience with this species.? I do cut it down nov 1 or maybe Nov 15 to the ground. Was thinking next year of planting common milkweed maybe they will like it more? I know I should plant narrow leaf and other natives, just not crazy about em, and I want plants that grow at least 4-5 feet .Input please
Greeings Amber! I think your heart is in the right place, but, for genetic reasons, Monarchs probably shouldn't cross state lines (other than how they naturally would when migrating). If Monarchs from the west coast were introduced to the east coast, there's different genetic instinct in the two as to where/how to migrate, and we don't fully understand migration yet, by far. Mixing the genes of the eastern migratory population with those of other populations could result in the offspring not being able to migrate correctly or at all. Does that make sense? If we wish to increase the numbers of our populations, it's much more about ensuring milkweed and pollinator habitat is available so that their numbers can naturally swell. I wish you luck with what eggs you have! Your population, even just in your immediate location is important too, so take good care of those eggs, as I'm sure you shall! Good luck! ❤🦋😃
@@MrLundScience facinating. I figured the weather would be an issue. I've planted the milkweed and the that's where all the eggs came from. Clearing the hill behind my back fence to put more. Thanks
This makes me feel better, Ive been raising monarchs for about 4 years now, because of your videos. I have about 4 butterfly houses, and this year I have 4 eggs. I always give my very best efforts helping the monarch butterflies, keeping them separate so that they don’t eat each other, to Defending the milk weed patch growing outside my bedroom window when my parents wanted to mow it down. I always give each caterpillar a fresh leaf every day, take them with me if we go camping, washing and wrapping the leaves with paper towels. It’s reassuring to me that even though I might only have 4 this year (They all just hatched yesterday 🎉) That im still helping to make a difference.
The four you have, it means the world to them. And I applaud you on the defending of your milkweed. Extend to your parents, if you wish, my own personal thanks for allowing you to keep it. You have some cool folks, for sure. Thank them for me, and let them know, they have an aspiring conservationist on their hands! Good luck with your four!
@@Melody_Gaming64 every monarch is important, every milkweed plant too.
Very interesting video! I'll apologize in advance for the long comment. The monarchs I raise are what I consider to be rescue monarchs. I don't need to go get them from an untouched field or anything like that. I let nature take its course. However, I'm surrounded by dirt roads and tiny little milkweed plants like to grow on the edge of the road. In some cases, I'm finding eggs on milkweed that is 1.5 inches high. If a car pulls over or the grader does maintenance or when the municipality goes by to cut the vegetation down along the side of the road, there goes those caterpillars' chance of survival. This is actually why I started raising monarchs again. Years ago, they had cut the vegetation down and while I was walking my dogs, I noticed cut down and dried up milkweed laying on the edge of the road. I decided to pick it up and take a peek and found 2 eggs. I brought them home, cut them out like you do and placed them on a fresh leaf. 1 survived, the other didn't. But that one would have starved to death if I didn't bring it home. That's when I decided I needed to help them. I'm up to 64 this year (all rescue ones from the road) and I'm starting to get concerned about what I can maintain. I can do 64, it will be the most I've raised but I'm comfortable with that number. I have enough milkweed sources and I feel that I have the time to keep things sanitary for this amount. But I feel terribly guilty about leaving eggs out on the road that have no chance of surviving. That's the dilemma I'm struggling with.
I sympathize completely, and think situations like these are why restrictions to 10 a season might be short sighted. Two days after filming this, on sprouted shoots to soon be mowed down at my in-laws, I found 14 eggs. All were doomed by a mower. Further, on the in-laws' adult milkweed plants, no eggs were found. And even in this episode, after the filming, I never did find any eggs on those adult plants in the background. The two at the intro were the only two found in that location.
The females tend to prefer new shoots due to the tender leaves and lack of established predators. As stated in a response to another comment, I'm currently at 37 taken in, and 20+ of those finds have come from what would be considered "doomed" milkweed where the Monarch egg never stood a chance of survival. In these cases, 10 or even 20 seems restrictive to me.
I appreciate your comment, and no need for the apologies. Details help, and I'm long typed myself at times. Thank you for rescuing the Monarchs that you have!🙏
I look to your videos for information and inspiration every monarch season. You rescued me some years back when I found about 20 cats stripping the few milkweeds plants I had. I "devoured" your videos for the information (and confidence) to find them the food they needed. I brought them in my screened porch because the wasps and birds were already taking them. We were mesmerized as they transformed in front of our eyes. Each season is different. I have more milkweed but sometimes few monarchs. I go with what nature brings. I do harvest a few eggs or up to my limit of management. 20 is stop point for me but that depends on the season. I confess I did bring one with a damaged wing indoors for a winter. I left her in the garden initially but she just would be there the next day fluttering as I walked by. Everyday I could not believe that she was still alive and no one had eaten her. Tinkerbell lived at least 5 months, resting in houseplants and feeding on dilute honey. She even traveled to Florida with us in her mesh tent. Ironically, she was taken by a bird on a lovely spring day while sunning on the deck! Circle of life. Thank you for sharing your passion. #RealCatLady
Hi there, been with you from the start. Have an offical registered Monarch Waystation in my garden in metro Detroit. Just watched your NPV video as I woke up this week to the diaster of losing 50 cats in multiple stages in many rearing containers. In an already low population szn I've felt gutted. Seems like something hit before I could contain it. Never had an issue before so I had skipped bleach but rinsed leaves. Ugh. I am in TLC mode with my few healthy ones. Released 10 🦋 before the outbreak. Thanks for the reminders to focus on milkweeds, advocation, and education. I always ask new people to release my monarch, the mail person or young neighbors + they are hooked on helping. Much love to all the earth guardians out there. Keep on going.🧡
I love your videos!! This is where I came when I was first learning about raising Monarchs and credit you for most of what helped me in getting started! Thank you!
I kindly thank you for that. I feel honored. I do wish to always advocate, though, always consult other sources too! It's not possible for me to always hold the entire picture, and it's a vast one. Multiple sources of info keeps science healthy! But still, the sentiment is taken, and I appreciate it much. 🙏 Good luck with your season!
I agree with quality over quantity.
When I started out a few years back, I had a small balcony apartment and my milkweed was in planters and two pots. I found out the hard way that predators can invade second story plants, and out of 30 cats, only 2 made it to the butterfly stage. I moved to house and raised 50 one year, and reached my limit. Last year, massive pest problems brought me to my knees and I only released 8 healthy adults. I made a change this year; my milkweed is out of pots and in the ground. The goal is to have several forests of milkweed and supportive plants to let nature take its course. I will finish hand raising those who make it to third or fourth instar, if I find them. If I release 5 butterflies, I’ll be very happy. I feel the same about my black swallowtail cats…but they require more work because they take longer to grow and have to be overwintered. Quality matters.
Even if the goal is forests, and you only make it to half of one forest, you'll have performed an amazing contribution! I was able to check out some haunts in my previous location and see that some milkweed areas I got going (not huge, but spreading) are still there. It's satisfying to know that though I'm not in that area, some Monarchs have those options after I'm gone. Rearing Monarchs can be very rewarding...but the planting of milkweed is the long term solution. 😃👍
Last year I released 100 monarchs. Some I brought in as eggs and some as cats. I have 5 or 6 kinds of milkweed planted to feed them and it take a lot for that many monarchs. This year one of my milkweed varieties got a disease so I had to cut it to the ground. I'm not sure I will have enough milkweed to feed as many as I did last year. Yes, I do mow down the ones that get in the lawn. This is the first year I'm having that issue so before I mow I will check the plants in the lawn for eggs before I mow and pull up the plants to try and control it from spreading. HaHa. The Monarchs usually show up in my area in the middle of Kansas around the end of July or early August so they should be appearing soon. Raising monarchs is a lot of work but very rewarding. Last year I spent 3 to 4 hours a day checking my milkweed for eggs and cats, cleaning cages, moving the newly hatched cats to other cages and gathering milkweed to feed them. I don't expect to raise that many this year...I think last year was an exceptional year for me. But I will take what I get and hopefully have enough milkweed to keep them fed.
That all sounds highly thought out and responsible. It sounds like they are in good hands. Be prepared in checking the sprouts, though...I recently found 14 on soon to be mowed down shoots at my in-laws just a couple days after filming this one. From my experience, the females tend to prefer the new shoots to lay eggs on. It's been pretty consistent that way over the years.
Much luck to you with your season, and thank you for your comment! 😃👍🙏
I'm in Ontario and this has been a slow year for me as well (although the most I've ever had in one year was 11). My milkweed garden is the biggest I've had and yet I've only found one caterpillar so far - extremely early in the season for me. I found the caterpillar in June and released her on July 8th. I absolutely agree with quality over quantity. I think some people get caught up in trying to rear as many as possible, but even just doing 10 is fulfilling and helping the population. And as you said, the most important aspect of this is planting milkweed as the monarch population cannot survive without an abundant food source! I'm surrounded by farms and have seen caterpillars die from milkweed that's been sprayed with pesticide. It's so important to plant milkweed to ensure that there are clean plants that are not tainted with chemicals. I think the idea of milkweed becoming protected habitat is interesting. I'd love to see it happen but not sure of the logistics of this - it truly does grow like a weed (my garden is over crowded with it despite only actually planting a few this year!). I'd love to see more protected conservation areas that are abundant with milkweed as opposed to making it a protected habitat in everyone's backyard.
First year, 23 released, just getting started. Year 2, 152 and learning so much! Last year God blessed me with the successful release of 914 breathtaking souls. I live in central Michigan where milkweed is abundant...it's everywhere!
900+ does sound like quite the undertaking. But there's certainly some areas of Michigan where milkweed supplies are plentiful. I know the year 300+ was taxing for me. Without assistants, I don't know how I myself would have been able to go past 600, but I wasn't really looking to.
I would say, in the last decade, driving around different Michigan neighbor hoods at times for this or that reasons, I've noticed that there are a lot more milkweed plants in obvious yard gardening areas. A lot more intentional milkweed, in other words. That's very encouraging to see, and a noticeable difference compared to ten years ago!
It is my sole focus during warm months and I probably devote 35-40 hrs per week doing "butterfly shenanigans". I don't go anywhere overnight during this time. My family supports my commitment to the monarch. Since becoming disabled this has become one of the things that gives life meaning.
I definitely agree that less is more and that it should be quality over quantity. I think 10-20 is a good, safe number. I used to go on a couple Monarch groups on Facebook and people there would constantly brag about how many Monarchs they raised (some raised 500-1000, even with OE and other issues going on) and it really bothered me, so I left. I read some studies that raising that many really doesn't do any good for the population (I think the study was by the Xerces Society). When you're raising that many, most people will not do it responsibly (check for OE, make sure the raising environment is clean, not crowd them, etc). I think people think they're helping, but they're doing more harm. That's probably why it's illegal to raise them in California (where I live). I think it's illegal to even touch a Monarch caterpillar or butterfly here unless you have a permit. I know people don't like that here, but I honestly think it's for the best.
Yowza...I have never been a part of FB, so I'm not privy to these groups (and zero plans to be part of FB). All I can speak on would be my own experience, and I know from my 300+ season, what that felt like, and as a teacher, I have my summer schedule flexible enough to source milkweed and sanitize...and still that was a lot of work. Even so, I know of a retired couple I've spoken to over the years who both do the work, maintain sanitation, test for parasites, all of it, and pretty effectively have 500-700 released each year. So, I know that responsible high numbers are possible. But, I do agree, such a situation might be a rare case, and if many were looking to get into always increasing the number (without asking if there's a reason to), that could eventually lead to lowered care conditions for the Monarchs reared, and increases the risk of disease/parasite breakouts.
In other cases, though, I think numbers as low as 10 or 20 could and should be debated. My wife's parents are out of town. Last week, I mowed their lawn, and as always, I pull out any milkweed shoots that sprouted up and check them for eggs, rather than have them face the mower. There were many of these shoots that would have been mowed, and I found 14 eggs in total on them. I've so far taken in 37 eggs/cats, and easily more than 20 of them have come from "doomed" milkweed situations. Setting a limit of even 20 seems restrictive, to me.
From a teacher's view, I know of many teachers who do amazing lessons on responsible conservation, and Monarchs in the classroom in the fall is some of the most engaging situations that can be created, and students look forward to. The educational value is priceless, and it can be done very responsibly. If standards limit such things to 20 (or less), many teachers would be hindered in what they do. And while perhaps applications for more than 20 (or whatever a number that's set might be, if a number is ever set) could be set up for educational reasons, it puts another barrier gate to unlock in the teaching world, and some teachers simply wouldn't do it.
A number like 50? That feels like much more breathing room for hobbyists, educators, and conservationists, but that is only my humble opinion. And my opinion is just that. Only an opinion.
This is all great and healthy discussion, though! Cool to hear from so many on this, as well.
Thank you for your feedback, and continued support of the Monarchs! 🙏🦋
@@MrLundScience I definitely do agree with you that 50 (or a bit higher) would be a good number, especially for educators who will do it responsibly. I was mainly referring to just regular people doing it for fun (I know the Xerces Society recommends 10 or lower for states where it's not illegal to raise them, but I think that's geared toward people doing it for a hobby/fun and not education). I know California requires a Scientific Collecting Permit for teachers, but I'm not sure how difficult it is to get or what is involved. More studies are definitely needed to show the impact of mass raising on Monarch populations. I just think it's wrong when people mass raise them (irresponsibly) and make it into a numbers contest with others (like I encountered on Facebook about 2-3 years ago... hopefully things have changed, as I know the mods of those groups began discouraging it before I left). Then it's not about the health of the Monarchs anymore or about helping the environment; it becomes a selfish endeavor. Again, just my opinion. : ) If you do it responsibly with the best intentions and not as a contest, I see no issues.
Also, just FYI, I don't think the California law is discouraging a lot of regular people here from raising Monarchs. I know several people in my local Monarch conservation group and on my street that still do it. But they're incredibly hush-hush about it. But the law really sucks for educators, I definitely agree.
I always enjoy your videos and hope you continue to make more.
Haven’t seen not one monarch here in the south yet, but my giant milkweed is thriving happy about that, love your channel, gives me hope 👍😎👍 💜
This year I've only found one egg. Today. Not seeing the Monarchs this year where I live in Lake County IL. Better than none. 🦋
That's a very precious one, then, indeed. Good luck!✌
The numbers have been very low in Chicago due to loss of habitat unfortunately people keep on removing milkweed on their property around my house also there's too many predators this year Earwigs have been very bad this summer.
I have a large milkweed patch in my garden and will continue to advocate for planting more milkweed around the neighborhood.
Thank You for all that you do for our Monarchs.
🦋🦋🦋
I applaud you for your advocacy in your neighborhood. Depending upon the person, their knowledge and ability to do so, advocacy can be very effective. And I sympathize with the earwigs. They are at the top of my stalks each morning, sleeping in!
Thank you for your efforts with the Monarchs as well. Your milkweed offers them options! 🙏🦋🦋🦋😃
I have exactly 11 bugs. Most have chrysalized the past few days. 2 more in J tonight. One little baby. Pretty happy about that. And a nice milkweed patch. Lots of ants and other stuff but the chickens are doing a good job of keeping the bad bugs from getting on the milkweed.
Sounds like you have an efficient, "well-oiled machine" there. Bravo!
Raised 182 last yr. Only 42 this yr. Bfly garden is 14x14 . 22 milkweed plants. 4 butterfly bushes. 15 cone flwrs. Will try again next yr
Am I understanding that we only need to be concerned about raising outside when we are doing the migratory monarchs? I started doing all raising outside, including eggs. I also want to thank you about emphasizing native pollinators and milkweed needing to be increased. I ammfollowing the Home Grown National Park idea and converting half my lawn into native pollinator habitat. I also bought just iver 5.5 acres of abandoned horse pasture to rehab. A lot of us are trying. We just need guidance (like yoirs) to help us.
Greetings! The quick answer is yes, I myself am only fully rearing outdoors with eggs I find starting the last week of July (which is now). While this link I'm adding is a 19 minute video, the first two minutes discusses the very part you are asking about:
"Raising Monarchs - Outdoor Rearing"
ruclips.net/video/LjEgU0Ub5hY/видео.html
And if you liked the pollinator part, you'll likely enjoy an upcoming episode that has portions of it already filmed. Might not be the *next* one out (or might be...tough to say, actually) but it will come out this season.
A lot of you are trying, and you are seen. I see you, for sure. I'll do my best, if people are turning to me to guidance (as they certainly seem to be, these days), and I promise to always try to offer responsible, accurate information to the best of my ability. I see that as the only way science stays healthy. 🙏😃👍✌
Thank you for your efforts towards helping out the Monarchs. You aren't alone.
I just found a monarch butterfly who fell after hatching and now can not fly. The wings are all crinkled and she won't be able to survive in the wild. Can you make an updated video on how to care for crippled butterflies? How to feed them, the best type of enclosure, etc.? I really want her to live as long and comfortably as she can.
He has a video on OE and it sounds like it is OE. Do not keep it alive even if you quarantine it. It is sad but the OE is so so contagious. If you got it from
your yard then cut the milkweed back to the ground so when it grows back and be good with OE. Clean the enclosure with a bleach/water mixture. Watch his video about OE.
Greetings Anais!
I'm very sorry to hear of the finding of the butterfly in that way. I've been there before, and many of us have. When dealing with an adult Monarch (or any butterfly for that matter) that can not fly, it can be a trying time for us, as it obviously is for them.
I'm not sure if you've already seen it, but on this topic, an episode exists, "When Adults Can't Fly" - ruclips.net/video/XfuTlASal_U/видео.html
In that episode, three options are mentioned, along with their logic behind them. It sounds like you've chosen already, though, to care for the Monarch and allow it to experience life throughout it's days. I consider any of the three options in the episode respectable ones, so I certainly find your decision here respectable as well. That said, I must apologize to you in advance, but it wouldn't be a responsible choice for me to make such a video you've requested. (Absolutely no worries about asking! You obviously have a great heart and good intention!) Please consider, though, if I were to make such a video, there could be many out there who would misuse such information, in order to house healthy Monarchs that should truly be released. I hope you understand my reasoning.🙏
I will certainly say this, though...your flightless Monarch still certainly loves nectar producing flowers, along with sunlight to warm itself. If you are truly searching for the "best" environment for him/her to spend out their days, if you have the means and the location, I would seek out the closest butterfly house, if that's a possibility. Typically, such places will not take in such an individual (due to disease/parasite reasons and needing to protect their own butterflies) but they may have information on if they know of an option for where their injured butterflies are kept/housed. Talking to people at butterfly houses is often a very excellent resource.
I hope this helps, and I wish you luck with your injured Monarch. Sounds like he/she is in caring hands. 🦋❤👍
OE could be a possibility. Here is that link: ruclips.net/video/kkZTfeFVMiE/видео.html
Though, this might be the video that needs an update. I cringe so much each time I hear me say "bacteria". I knew better, 100%, but the word just was stuck in my mouth and kept coming out. 🤦♂️😃
@@MrLundScience thank you so much!
I didn't get a lot of milkweed this year, so I can only take in maybe 10 to 15 eggs. In my backyard any eggs left outside don't have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving. Way too many predators.
Even with my recent attempts to deter ants off my milkweed with cinnamon, there's an occasional ant enough, not to mention earwigs, where I think it'd be pretty tough for an egg to make it even to the hatching stage on my home milkweed. In the short time I've been here, there's been twice that I've found a hatched egg, with no sign of the caterpillar. I'm pretty sure the ants find and gobble eggs if I don't find them first, and any cats that might make it out of the egg. Yep...predators in my new area definitely mean business.
I wish you luck with your 10-15! 👍
I think when raising Monarchs you need to consider the Milkweed you have or sources where you can get what you need-one year I reached my limit at about 12 they eat alot and I noticed they prefer younger plants the leaves are softer and thinner they tended to steer clear of the older leaves that are thicker
First year 30+ released in August and September so thinking they were the super generation. Last year very sad 😢 I only released 3. I got some kind of Black Death virus. Experimenting with growing various types of milkweed in pots. I have had success with swamp milkweed. I live in Md. I felt lucky as I found several little catipillars early and have already released 4. I have 4 more in chrysalis. I would love to message/chat with you about pruning of milkweed. I could share my experiences and genetics and releasing of butterflies in different areas.
I live south of Ottawa Ontario and I have been successful in the last three years. My garden if
S full of three different types of milkweed and I now have an infestation of greenfly on the milkweed, not the orange flowers ones. My question is does this deter the monarch from laying eggs on the leaves that have greenfly. I have seen a few monarchs but they are not laying eggs??
Greetings! I'm not sure if you are referencing the greenfly aphid, or green fly as in green bottle fly. Assuming it's the aphids, if there are enough of them to cause sticky excretion on the milkweed, damage the leaves enough to misshapen them, or start to attract ants/wasps because of their sugary excrement, yes, Monarchs will be less likely to lay eggs on such milkweed. If the infestation isn't too bad, females still might lay eggs, and in the field, I've still found eggs on milkweed that has obvious aphids on it, but it's definitely not very common.
If you are meaning the green bottle fly (which I don't think you are, but just in case) I would say that a strange attraction of them to milkweed would likely deter Monarchs from the plant just due to how busy an area with flies might be. Further, when I have seen flies (green bottle or otherwise) attracted to milkweed, it tends to be due to the sugary excrement of aphids on the plants, and we're back to what was mentioned above.
If you're battling the aphids, the previous episode, "Cinnamon, Ants, and Aphids" fleshes out some details about them, and might be worth a gander.
ruclips.net/video/DhhMMbVtSGA/видео.html
Good luck to you!
I hate the thought of being prohibited or limited to only 10 monarchs per year, but I would LOVE for milkweed to become illegal to destroy.
Hey, what kind of microscopes do you use? What do you use to film up close to a hatched caterpillars?
Greetings Alex. I have a traditional table top laboratory grade microscope (was given it by a school where it needed repair, was going to be thrown out, but if I could salvage and fix it, it could become mine). It'd probably be around $200 if a modern one was purchased these days. I also have a handheld microscope which an internet search can show equally similar results to by searching "handheld microscope". These range in prices from $10 - $20 on the internet, and I have a cheaper one, and it works fine. And in some cases, I'm using a handheld jewler's eye magnifier (quality ones are about $20) and focusing my camera through it. All of these options are employed, depending upon the shot.
I hope this helps!
@@MrLundScience I actually have a Carson microflip 100x- 250 i love it, it came with a smart phone adapter clip so i can take pictures, i mean i guess thats all i really need, just was looking for a compact desktop microscope, i have a few that i was looking for online.
Is your ama video out
Sigh… most things in nature seem to improve when we leave them alone. I was thinking monarchs were the exception. Hopefully they will have some kind of citizen scientist program. As long as I can still watch the caterpillars, I don’t care if I handle them, I suppose.
I have two second instars here in soggy Minnesota. Slow year.
Soggy, eh? How are the mosquitos there? They are ramping up here in Michigan! I'm needing the repellant when I look for eggs these days.
@@MrLundScience oh my goodness. I purchased something called a Bug baffler. It’s a mesh hood that I wear over my head anytime I go in my yard. I don’t love the idea of having deet on my face, and the mosquitoes will attack your face.
They love to follow me into the house, where I stop at nothing to track them down and whack them.
This typically leaves a mosquito-shaped smudge on the wall that resembles a cave painting. Did I mention they’re huge?
Though I have fond memories of working in the entomology lab in college, (identifying mosquitoes by species) they’re not welcome in my current life 😂.
Is it unethical and/or illegal to dig up milkweed on roadways to transplant to my garden. Especially if its milkweed that gets mowed down anyway? Will it survive a transplant? I grew 15 milkweed from babies that i bought online this spring and the landcapers ripped them all out; by the roots. They may as well have ripped out my heart while they were at it. I'm desperate for more.
Hey all I have 3 big balloon milkweed plants that are over 5 or 6 feet tall. They look great, and I do see monarchs on them or at least in yard occ. No cats found though! Last year I found a whole bunch, but it was closer to late fall. (I live in southern California). Does anyone out there have experience with this species.? I do cut it down nov 1 or maybe Nov 15 to the ground. Was thinking next year of planting common milkweed maybe they will like it more? I know I should plant narrow leaf and other natives, just not crazy about em, and I want plants that grow at least 4-5 feet .Input please
I have two 4th instars inside my house right now. Went outside this afternoon and found a weird bug eating a 3rd instar 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Ouch. That can be rough. Sorry that was encountered. But, the other two are safe!
Unfortunately the volume is very low,
consider trying to boost it in edit, and re-upload ??
I do appreciate the advice, but after double checking, this episode is within the same decibel window as the others.
I'll double check it for myself
Is there a way I can send some eggs east? I've got so many butterflies there are two, three, plus the y on a half inch little sprout leaf.
Greeings Amber! I think your heart is in the right place, but, for genetic reasons, Monarchs probably shouldn't cross state lines (other than how they naturally would when migrating). If Monarchs from the west coast were introduced to the east coast, there's different genetic instinct in the two as to where/how to migrate, and we don't fully understand migration yet, by far. Mixing the genes of the eastern migratory population with those of other populations could result in the offspring not being able to migrate correctly or at all. Does that make sense?
If we wish to increase the numbers of our populations, it's much more about ensuring milkweed and pollinator habitat is available so that their numbers can naturally swell.
I wish you luck with what eggs you have! Your population, even just in your immediate location is important too, so take good care of those eggs, as I'm sure you shall! Good luck! ❤🦋😃
@@MrLundScience facinating. I figured the weather would be an issue. I've planted the milkweed and the that's where all the eggs came from. Clearing the hill behind my back fence to put more. Thanks