raising butterflies....

[blossomnatalia]

OK, I have never done it and I need help.
I am in search of eggs or caterpillars... and I know nothing about host plants.

Which plants usually host which eggs/caterpillar... where can I find them and WHEN... am I too early? too late?
I live in Western NC

Any insight would be appreciated thank you!! :heart

[Katydid]

I've never done this, either, and I plan on just buying a kit. :shifty

[sweetpeasmommy]

We got ours here (http://insectlore.stores.yahoo.net/butterflies.html). But we already had the kit and so we only had to pay the s/h.

[Autumn]

The monarch caterpillars can be found on milkweed plants. If it's the right timeframe and you have the right plant the caterpillars are pretty easy to find. We always bring them home in a little bucket or something and set them up in a glass mason jar with fresh milkweek and a couple sticks - make them each their own little habitat - and put clear plastic wrap on top with a rubber band and poke little holes in it. Just make sure the holes aren't big enough for them to get out and that the wrap is tight enough so if they decide to build the chrysalis on it it'll be sturdy enough to hold them!

I can't find many pictures from when we've done it on this computer but if you search for it in google the first 3 pictures here are some of what came up:
this is the milkweed (you can find it with or without the flowers)


this is the sap when you break off a piece of the plant so you know you have the right stuff ;)


this is what the caterpillars look like, usually you find them on the underside of the leaves - there are fuzzier caterpillars too that have the same colors, but they turn into moths and aren't nearly as cool to watch :shrug3





This is all I can find picture-wise on this computer from when we've done it... I'll update more if I can find any better ones:

They'll hang upsidedown in Js when they're getting ready to make the chrysalis and it'll be a green color with little gold dots near the top - very pretty. When they're almost ready to break out, the chrysalis will turn very clear and you can see the colors of their wings through it. I wish I could find my pictures of this step!

This is a little after one hatched, you can kind of see the habitat we had set up, though most of the milkweed has gone bad between the time it made the chrysalis and the time it hatched. We give them fresh stuff until they make the chrysalis but after that we leave them alone so we don't hurt it
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xnH6iA6EFMo/Sfczyumm4ZI/AAAAAAAAB9w/AEIviLNnmbo/s400/100_3676.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xnH6iA6EFMo/SfczybUk08I/AAAAAAAAB9g/AoWGA2K-j9E/s400/100_3674.JPG

Once their wings are dried out and they're ready, you can either let them go on milkweed again or just on whatever plants you have by your house - they'll find what they want :)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xnH6iA6EFMo/SfczyNkAE9I/AAAAAAAAB9Y/k_M4MJBAZnM/s400/100_3625.JPG

Have fun!

[swimming with sharks]

Go get some parsley and plant it....watch it for small yellow eggs...Swallowtails eat parsley so if you can keep the caterpillars in parsley (they eat a LOT as they get bigger). You're a touch early but it's coming up fast especially where you are.

[Amber]

I have a little kit that I bought on clearance last year :giggle Now I just need to send off for the caterpillars.

[hey mommy]

We have a kit.. We haven't ordered them yet though. I need to do that asap.

[blossomnatalia]

thanks so much for your responses!!!! :heart

I don't have to time write more right now... but I will be back...

[MrsMelancholy]

DD got a kit for her birthday last year, with a coupon for free baby caterpillars. It was SO easy and really neat!

[HuggaBuggaMommy]

We've collected the Monarch caterpillars from milkweed, too. Very easy!

[erinee]

I'm not a homeschooler, but I saw this post and had to chime in because this is one of my favorite activities. We do it every year with great success and have never bought a kit. We raise monarchs because milkweed is so common around here and easy to find. The eggs are kind of tiny football shaped white-colored things, usually under the leaf to stay out of the sun. We usually just find caterpillars and skip the egg stage, because it's hard to keep the leaf moist enough while you wait for the egg to hatch. The caterpillars you can transfer to a new leaf, but you can't do that with an egg.

When you get a caterpillar you just have to keep adding milkweed leaves and misting them with a little water when they are getting dry until you notice that their eating has slowed down. Then start watching carefully so you don't miss it. I always put a stick in the jar for them to climb onto to pupate into the chrysallis stage, but sometimes they ignore the stick and go to the very top of jar on the edge or the lid. It's amazing to watch -- some years we've gotten lucky and seen it happen, others we come home and it's already done.

It's a good idea to move the stick with the chrysallis on it to a place where the new butterfly will have room to stretch its wings without bumping them on the sides -- that's essential to get the blood circulating and pump the wings up, kind of like a balloon. Otherwise they'll die.

When the butterfly emerges, it's okay to let it walk all over the kids, just make sure they don't touch the wings. When it's wings are dry, it's a good idea to take it out in a sunny location to free it. We had one that just wouldn't fly, and we were so worried, but once we put it in the sun it flew away just fine.

[Rea T]

I may have to try this, I think I know where to find some milkweed. J's class did this in the fall and he enjoyed it, I think he would get a kick out of teaching K what he knows.

[Blue Savannah]

Finding your own is cool! We may try that this summer.


In the past though, we've gotten kits from insect lore. My dd spontaneously kept a journal of the ladybugs we got. :rockon I'm planning on doing a bug a month this summer with my two. IMO, the kits are fairly reasonable. :shifty But I think we have milkweed here. I'll have to ask my dh. :think

[erinee]

I may have to try this, I think I know where to find some milkweed. J's class did this in the fall and he enjoyed it, I think he would get a kick out of teaching K what he knows.


You see milkweed a lot along railroad tracks. It's on plenty of other places, too, but it seems especially prolific there. :)

[sprout]

this sounds awesome! and, a great reason to go hiking! :rockon

now, if it would only stop raining.

[Amber]

When is the best time to get the caterpillars?  I have a kit that I bought on clearance last year, so I will be sending off for the caterpillars in the mail...but I'm not sure when to do it.  It isn't extremely warm here yet...highs in the mid 60s. :think

[naturemama1]

We used a kit our first time, and after that we gathered caterpillars (using the same mesh butterfly tent from the kit). So much fun!

[blossomnatalia]

I have had no luck finding the eggs for the monarch. I have milkweed in my yard but nothing so far. :shrug3
I caught a tent moth caterpillar but it won't be as cool.... i really want to get the monarch... is it too early????

[erinee]

I have had no luck finding the eggs for the monarch. I have milkweed in my yard but nothing so far. :shrug3
I caught a tent moth caterpillar but it won't be as cool.... i really want to get the monarch... is it too early????





Yes, it's a little early. We usually find them in June. Be forwarned, a lot of times the eggs never hatch because it's infertile, or there may be a wasp larva inside. We've never had any luck with eggs, so now we just take caterpillars.

[Garland]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I love the Insect Lore products. We have bought their Painted lady butterfly catterpillars several times and watched them grow. We have had great success with them. It is an easy way to start out!


We have some little caterpillars sitting on our counter right now that we just received in the mail a few days ago. My kids love watching them!