My first Monarch nursery...fun!

11 years ago

In July, I gave a try at my first Monarch nursery.

Last year, I set up a butterfly garden with milkweed, salvia, etc. and had a good number of caterpillars. But, alas, I left them out in the open. I had some cocoons, but not many made it to butterflies as predators got to many of them.

So I read up on setting up a nursery, discovering that there are a lot of different ways to do it! I took a large plastic storage container with a lid. I cut a large opening in the lid and covered it with screening material and cut an opening in the door.

I took four freezer boxes and filled them with water. I punched holes in the lids and put milkweed cuttings in the holes.

When I found baby caterpillars on my milkweed in the garden I put them in the nursery. I ended up with 14 caterpillars I raised to cocoon stage. YAY!!!

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Comments (3)

eggs3
Original Author
11 years ago
For some reason, in planning my Monarch nursery, I had this lovely vision that, when they were ready to do their cocoon thing, all of my wonderfully fat caterpillars would shimmy on up to the screening material covering the lid of their nursery and hang their cocoons from there...all neatly in a row. WRONG!

Only one caterpillar put his cocoon where he was supposed to...on the top lid of the nursery (and even he put his precariously close to the edge). All of the other little ones hung their cocoons all hodgepodge under the lids of the four freezer containers that the plant cuttings were in. One even put his cocoon in a plant cutting. They did not follow my plan. Obviously, next time, I will have to 'splain myself a little better! hahaha

Actually, now that I have had so much fun with this first try at raising caterpillars, my hubby is going to build me a screened in butterfly room, where I can have pots and pots of milkweeds for the little darlings to grow on! Pics of that to follow :)
eggs3
Original Author
11 years ago
Once one hung his cocoon off the freezer container, they all got on the bandwagon!
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terrene
11 years ago
Congrats on your Monarch nursery! I absolutely love raising Monarchs and agree it is so much fun!

If it is awkward to have the chrysalises hanging on the edges of your feeding containers, you can move them fairly easily. I've noticed that more of my cats than usual are pupating on leaves this year (so far). I just cut that leaf off and tape it where I want it to be.

How large is your screened butterfly cage going to be?