Hatch and Raise Monarch Butterflies - complete how to guide with detailed and beautiful video!

How to raise monarch butterflies: this is such a feel-good, anyone-can-urban-homestead, EASY activity! And the beautiful 'nature' footage of the developing butterfly is so lovely and fascinating, I hope you enjoy it! All camera work and editing was done by my extremely talented husband.
#monarchbutterfly #gardening #butterfly #milkweed
Summary of steps:
1. Find/plant milkweed. There are many different varieties, some well suited to containers and some that will spread easily around your garden. Some may be more native to your area as well! Popular varieties in Ontario are Butterfly Weed, Swamp Milkweed, or Common Milkweed (all will have Asclepias in the proper name). Flowers range from subtle small whites and blues to showy pinks, oranges and purples.
2. Find a monarch caterpillar egg. These will appear in the late spring through mid/late summer, and they can be found on the underside of the milkweed leaves. Once I saw a butterfly lay an egg - too bad my husband didn't catch it on camera! Eggs are tiny, only about 1mm round, with clear vertical stripes.
3. Shelter the leaf and egg. I often start with a shallow container, trying to balance the leaf not rotting against the leaf drying out too quickly. Leaves will need to be replaced every so often either way - make sure you don't add any kind of leaf other than milkweed to your caterpillar habitat. After a few days, the egg will hatch and you will start seeing holes in the leaf where the caterpillar is feasting (and little brown poops!).
4. Give the grown caterpillar a place to hang. When the caterpillar is close to two weeks old or almost two inches long (or sooner, if you want), transfer the leaf to a jar and add something that the caterpillar can climb, like a small stick. It's not a problem to transfer the caterpillar over to a jar 'early', it is just a little more awkward to exchange leaves. When the caterpillar is ready, it will climb up and hang from either the stick or the lid of the jar in a 'J' shape, and 12-24 hours later will change itself into a pupa. At this stage, every day or two I gently lift the lid of the jar (which isn't screwed on), just to promote a bit of air exchange. The pupa is fastened tight to the stick or jar lid, if you're careful it won't fall off.
5. Release the grown butterfly. When the butterfly hatches, give it space to dry out and prepare to venture off. Some people have covered porches that work really well for this. I usually bring the whole jar to a sheltered spot with a little shade, and they gradually start to explore. Even when they fly off, the butterflies usually hang out in my garden for several hours.
Check out my garden on instagram! / ellseykaygardens
And my website, for how-to guides, recipes and blog posts: www.ellseykaygardens.com/
Music: www.bensound.com

[@Nancy4133nope]

What a fantastic video, I have raised 8 monarchs this year. It was my first year I have learned so much from your videos thank you for sharing

[@ellseykaygardens]

That’s awesome!!! Glad you enjoyed it

[@brianolson1554]

Wow. We need about a million more people with your passion. Thanks for the outstanding video!!

[@simplelife393]

I'm a butterfly raiser too, i enjoy every moment of it watching them transform into different stages.

[@kurtcaramanidis5705]

I've watched hundreds of wildlife/habitat videos and this is a top 5. Absolutely love it. I have dozens and dozens of Monarchs at my property in Central WI. I have converted ag fields to natural habitat. Lots of common and now some swamp milkweed.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much for the kind comments - and that’s amazing!! People like you are going to bring the population levels back up where they should be :)

[@starstrudel8417]

This is so beautiful. The eaves of our front door was graced by a chrysalis; I can see the gorgeous stripes through the green, so hopefully it'll be smooth sailing! We also found a 5th instar caterpillar on the front lawn. Since the maintenance crew tends to march all over there, we unearthed the milkweed it was on and brought it into our backyard so it has a safe place to pupate. We named it Wrinkles. And boy does it know how to EAT!

[@ellseykaygardens]

That’s lovely! Hopefully Wrinkles goes on to parent many future generations

[@starstrudel8417]

Great news- Our Wrinkles had a case of the zoomies the other day, kept crawling in circles off his plant. Well today I came home and found that Wrinkles has found a nice spot next to his chrysalis cousin (not too close) and made his J. Our whole family is so proud of them. We built a small soft platform under them in case they fall with a little wind (and bird) shield. Good luck to our little green friends, hope to see them orange someday! It's been such an emotional thing to witness for us.

[@starstrudel8417]

As of tonight, he is a beautiful chrysalis. What a blessing to have these amazing animals share with us a glimpse of their brilliance. Love you, Wrinkles ♥

[@carolynlaboy4901]

Thanks. This is one of the best monarchs videos I have ever watched.❤

[@ellseykaygardens]

Wow, thank you!

[@maraleefoster4354]

Thank you so much for making this fabulous guide. The information was very detailed yet so easy to understand. The cinematography was superb❤️ I have milkweed in my yard that I’ve always allowed to grow wherever they like. I’ve never actually seen Monarchs around however this year my granddaughter and I have been checking the leaves for eggs. Hopefully we find some. I’m saving this video for her to watch with me next time she comes over. I think it’s educational for both adults & children. Again thank you for the video & for what you’re doing for our planet.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment! We’ve also not seen many/any monarch eggs yet this year! Their population needs all the help we can give them

[@DeeHermanson]

Soo awesome!! I just hatched a chrysalis or cocoon that was hanging on my garden rake. I took it inside and just came home to her hanging. She is outside now drying out. Such a beautiful thing

[@ellseykaygardens]

That’s great! I happened to have a few hatch today, too. More butterflies!! :)

[@stacyjobe6697]

I used to have milkweed in my yard for the monarchs. They are beautiful, but I also like my wildlife and my pets. The milkweed killed a wild bunny in my yard. It was heartbreaking to see him suffer and die after eating the leaves. At the time I didn't know better. So I got rid of all my milkweed. I focus on safe non poisonous host plants for catapillars. Like "corky stem" and "passion vine", " brown fennel"and parsley are also great and safe. I get 4 different types of butterflies with these plants. Zebra long wing, Juliane, Gulfirtillary, and Black swallowtail. They are beautiful!

[@Dobviews]

Rabbits are runners but cannot jump very well. So, all of my milkweed is behind a 1 1/2 foot fence. Keeps the milkweed away from the rabbits and allows the monarchs to flourish. Just a tip in case you want to replant some for the monarchs. Happy Gardening! 🐛🦋🐞🦠🌻⚘️🌺

[@QUEENBEE200384]

I do this with Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, Zebra Swallowtails and Spicebush Swallowtails. I grow all the hostplants in my yard. I go and find eggs and bring them in their own pop up butterfly cages then a emergence cage and release them once they come out of their chrysalis. I know I’m only one person if we could all do a little bit we could help the butterfly population that’s in a steep decline we don’t lose them. Spraying pesticides and mowing all meadows and native plants and replacing them with grass.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Awesome!!

[@lettyzane2720]

Great camera work!

[@Tempestzzzz]

It's free! It was a Female-didn't have the spots the Male has. I lifted the garage door and it immediately went toward the sunlight streaming in. Very sunny and calm day. I pulled the mesh back. It flew out fast and went high. Too fast for me to take a picture. I went back in the house and cried a bit. 2 years ago I nursed a Citrus Swallowtail with a deformed wing. I kept it alive for 3 weeks. That's all I could do. This Monarch is was healthy so it's out there doing what healthy Monarchs do.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Awesome!!!! And laying hundreds of eggs :)

[@Tempestzzzz]

We can hope@@ellseykaygardens

[@cgiecenterforglobalintergr4319]

I have many milkweed plants in my garden but the whole process of seeing a Monarch butterfly from a tiny egg to a fully developed monarch has remained a mystery. The process of metamorphosis has always metaphorically been meaningful and mysterious to me. Science plays a great role in helping nature to fulfill its goals and have some degree of protection from natural causes such as predators and diseases. The role of humanity in helping nature has been evolving with new discoveries of science and also a more aware and caring humanity This video finally took me through the whole process in a unique way showing how we as the intelligent species can help nature to fulfill its goals and the beautiful monarch make it to a fulfillment of its purpose. I really learned from the step by step video and enjoyed watching the birth of a monarch with the help of a monarch doula.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much for telling me! I’m so glad you enjoyed it (and are helping the monarchs!)

[@rethablair6902]

So rewarding indeed🤗🤗🤗I did this back in my late 20's

[@Poshgardenherbs]

Lovely 🥰

[@ianrobson9601]

WOW ! Absolutely loved watching this, very interesting and informative. Thank you so much and yes your husband does have great editing skills. I`m saving this to my faves

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thanks for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)

[@sandraschofield7017]

New to channel. Enjoyed video. Are you a teacher? You explained it so well and made it interesting. I'm planning this for my granddaughters. We have plenty of vounteer milkweed in our yard. Never knew the importance of it and thanks to your video now I know.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much! I do teach, and one of my hopes in posting videos is that it helps me become a better teacher :)

[@kaylahevans8334]

Monarch caterpillars are so gorgeous 🥰 just as pretty as the butterflies

[@ellseykaygardens]

I agree!

[@starstrudel8417]

Something pretty special I noticed: the gold flecks on the chrysalis can be metallic gold. Seriously gorgeous.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Right?! SO pretty

[@smithmen]

succinct, informative, and well edited guide! thank you!

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@mistyrosemarie]

I'm planting milk weed in my garden to help with the monarchs this year! I can't wait!

[@jovitaholman6125]

Thank you for sharing your incredible monarch video.

[@emac543]

You did a great job on this video. Straight to the point, packed with information. Thank you!

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much, glad you liked it! Stay tuned, I’ve got another video planned for Earth Day (Apr 22) that I hope will also be enjoyable!

[@cheriboone]

Best video I've seen on how to raise a butterly. I bought a big netting house for them so hopefully works out as well. I'm just worried if I out too many leaves w eggs in there. I can't find a video that tells me

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you! What do you mean you’re worried about too many leaves with eggs? I have had one bigger caterpillar eat an egg or smaller caterpillar, so that’s possible, but generally as long as there’s enough food/leaves and space for everyone then the more butterflies the better :)

[@birdsanimalslovers.]

Hello I have started my new KZbin Channel. I love you birds and animals. Please, Vijet my channel and see my videos and tell me your opinion.

[@snowiiseal]

I know i’m quite late but thank you so much for this! My family and I have been raising monarchs for about 3 years (I believe this year will be our fourth) and it was super neat to see close ups of every stage of the butterfly’s life. I heard you say he or she at the end of the video so incase you don’t know, when male monarchs have their wings spread out there will be dots near the end of the butterfly’s wings. Also, the lines on the wings when spread put are a bit thinner than the females. The females don’t have the black dots. The butterfly you released at the end was a male.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Very cool! Thanks!!

[@MidwestHome_Hens]

Yes, they are scent glands.

[@peterhuesmann3956]

Thank you so much for this video. I've been growing Milkweed for a couple years now and today I found an egg just as you described. So I have removed the leaf and will follow your directions. Beautiful video with great information and directions.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you and good luck!!

[@fredortiz8196]

Oh wow thank you so much for the information God bless you so much

[@backtonature433]

Wow, amazing 🐛🦋,nature at its finest😍😍😍

[@preachtheword6810]

Nice garden here connected

[@carlosfilipe76]

Amazing! Excellent action!

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thanks! My husband is so talented :)

[@birdsanimalslovers.]

Hello I have started my new KZbin Channel. I love you birds and animals. Please, Vijet my channel and see my videos and tell me your opinion.

[@garypoole1941]

Incredible! I am just beginning the journey and want to learn all that I can, This was extremely helpful and encouraging me that I can do this too.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you! It's so much fun, you can definitely do this! I've been saying this for a while, but I have another video on monarchs (much less of an overview, just a little bit of troubleshooting) that should be ready any day now!

[@donahartstein6576]

Your video is awesome. Very clear and easy to understand. I have just started working in a butterfly garden, and have enjoyed watching the process of the egg to caterpillar . I also know their chance of survival is very very low outside, and just learned they are endangered. I want to help the monarch so I went in search of a video to help me do this and I found yours and yours was the best. Thank you. 🦋🦋 I will just be starting with one for now. I’m sure I will be referring back to your video many times as I begin this adventure. Are you open to questions if needed?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Absolutely! The main reason we made the video was to help the population :) So glad you enjoyed it!

[@elba317]

Wow!!! I was mesmerized ❤

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you!

[@fullgardening]

Wow very beautiful garden🌱🌱🌺🌸🌿🙏🙏

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you! :)

[@patculver8267]

This is the best video I have ever seen on how to raise monarch butterflies. Subscribed. Thanks for sharing.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you so much!!

[@Liannabelle8]

Rich Lund has phenomenal videos, too. Highly recommend if you're taking on this adventure.

[@dubapocalypse]

Excellent content!

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you!

[@dubapocalypse]

@@ellseykaygardens Thank you! I have three little ones and I am so excited! 🐛🐛🐛

[@RedneckHillbillies]

Excellent video! ❤ I have just ordered seeds for a few different types of milkweed and other supportive plants for Monarchs and other pollinators to add to my food forest project next spring.

[@ellseykaygardens]

That’s awesome! I hope you get lots of visitors/eggs :)

[@chadroeder]

Great video. Very nice camera work.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thanks! Working on one about swallowtails now :)

[@briancrawford2433]

When he or she is ready? Butterflies don't get confused about their sex. Notice the spots on the hindwings. You were correct calling it "this little guy".

[@Tempestzzzz]

The Monarch Came out of it's chrysalis today! 9 Days as a chrysalis!!!! I will wait a little over a day before release. I put flowers, soft banana slice and sugar water at bottom of it's cage. Cage was a COSTCO card board box with mesh. The Caterpillar crawled on it's own to the top of the box to start into a chrysalis (box laid lengthwise on it's side). Cardboard box had screen mesh over openings. I got 3 more boxes with chrysalis. 🤣🙄 The Monarchs in Hawaii must have came out here must from Milkweed plants shipped in. I'm not aware of Monarch migration here and that 9 days in a chrysalis was nowhere near the 2 weeks I was expecting! It was an OMG moment when I inspected this morning !!!! Maybe they became hybrids since they live on an island?

[@workingman32205]

Beautiful video....professionally done...i think i am going to attempt this with my google pixel 5.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you and good luck!

[@sheilaquattrocchi9274]

Fantastic video!! Thank you SO much!! I plan to save some common milkweed seed this fall. Not sure where I will plant them, but I will have them. Thank you again!! 😊

[@ellseykaygardens]

Make sure you stick them outside or in the fridge for a few weeks before you plant them! www.saveourmonarchs.org/blog/its-time-to-start-cold-stratifying-your-milkweed-seeds I also ‘help’ the plants to scatter seeds in the fall, expecting a few of them will survive the winter and germinate next spring :)

[@sheilaquattrocchi9274]

@@ellseykaygardens Thank you for the stratification tip! Will do! 🙂 I will check out the link you provided too. Again, great job on your video and much success to you and your YT channel!!

[@deltalegacyone]

The Queen butterfly belonging to the same genus (Danaus) will also feed on various Asclepias spp.

[@Tempestzzzz]

My biggest Caterpillar is now upside down starting to build it's Cocoon. Gawd can they eat. Like locusts. Other rescues are not far behind.

[@saltlifegull4091]

What an amazing video and labor of love:) Thank you Ellsey! I've got 34 on the verge of hatching any day. Gonna freeze in a couple of weeks here in NW Florida, so questioning what to do! If I release then, they will die--advice?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Thank you! Monarchs can fly a really long way quite quickly (up to 100 miles in a day!), although they do need temperatures to be well above freezing as they fly. In your shoes I would do my best to release them, as they hatch, early in the day in the hopes they can get a good travel day in before finding a nice sheltered place to sleep that night. If they hatch late in the day, so long as their wings can fully stretch out, I’d let them dry overnight still in their jar or container and let them out somewhere around 8am the next day. Hopefully a bunch of them survive and come back to see you in the Spring!

[@denisef1153]

@@ellseykaygardens hi. Loved your video. Thank You. How cold is too cold for them? I’m in south Florida and we are around 65-67 degrees with no wind to make it colder. Is that too cold? I know I need a sweater in this cooler weather. I have them on my screened in patio. I have 8 that I know about in 8 plants. I have them up on a stand away from anything else so my cats don’t get to them. Then in front of all the milkweed plants I put salvia to hide them even further and hopefully this may keep them warmer? Should I put a heater out there?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Hi@@denisef1153! Thanks! You should be fine, we're about the same temperature later in the season and the monarchs are still fine. How cold does it get at night? As long as it's mainly above about the mid 50sF they will be ok. Our coldest nights when the monarchs are here are around 50F or 10C.

[@denisef1153]

@@ellseykaygardens Thank You so much for responding. It’s been in the high 50’s. I’m in Palm Beach County FL. I made them a tent. I straddled a ladder over the table they are on them and hung a thick comforter over the ladder. They have light and air, no worries about that. I couldn’t sleep well last night thinking of them and this was the best thing I thought of. The garage is just as cold and I don’t trust bringing them in the house with 3 feisty cats. They looked fine though. There is this one large one who seems to enjoy looking at me. Is that possible? I’ll be watching him and all of a sudden he starts stretching towards me like he’s saying hello. Then he does this little wiggle thing which I can’t explain but it’s like he’s showing off. Or maybe he’s showing me he’s cold. It is a lot warmer under that blanket.

[@VictoriaAHamilton]

3:24 wow these stats are crazy

[@ellseykaygardens]

Right?!

[@casacarla_]

Wow 🤩 thank you so much!! for this video! Amazing information and cinematography 🤩🤩🤩 Questions😊 - when I get the jars inside, do they need to be in light? Dark? - Also, no holes on the lids? Just loose lids? - do they need to be in a quite ambience? Or anywhere in the house? Sorry for so many questions!! I have to little ones fascinated about butterflies but running about the house all the time! 2 under 3 😅 Thank you so much !!!

[@ellseykaygardens]

I'm so glad you liked it! I keep the jars out of direct sunlight, to avoid them getting "greenhoused" and overheating the caterpillars. Not in the dark, though - simulating nature, the caterpillars are suited to light during the day and dark at night. I don't put holes in the lids - the balance is trying not to have the leaves rot too much from humidity, but also not having them dry out too fast (inside is usually drier than outside). I believe this balance could be found by putting holes in the lids, too - as long as the caterpillar still has a solid surface on which to set its silks I have little kids as well - nowhere is quiet! The caterpillars don't seem to mind. It's a great age for butterflies, mine love it!

[@casacarla_]

@@ellseykaygardens thank you so much! We already have out first pupa! So excited!! The gold is magical! Thank you a million times for your video, your reply and your passion 🫶🏻 the world needs more people like you!

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@casacarla_ that’s awesome!! I’m really happy for you, and your kind words mean a lot to me :)

[@Tempestzzzz]

So I get this milkweed (lavender flowers) cutting from this homeowner nearby. He attracts a lot of Monarchs. Takes a bit but it rooted and has a few very small leaves. I did this because I wanted to attracted Monarchs. WELL....I attracted one cuz I found little Monarch Caterpillars devouring it's leaves. No No not yet...I'm not ready! :^( I had it in some obscure area near my trash cans where there is not too much sun or rain. But the Monarch found this small (18 inch), hidden sapling! These caterpillars would have eaten this sapling to death since it had so few leaves. But I was able to secure some milkweed leaves (white flowers) and put them on the leaves in a jar.They are munching away. Very few milkweed bushes in my area (I could only find 3). I live in Hawaii and yes...we have Monarchs. Great video. Thanks. Answered a lot of questions I had.😊

[@ellseykaygardens]

That’s awesome!! And it reminds me of when our family went camping and brought our caterpillars with us, so they wouldn’t starve. Took us a while to find a milkweed plant, but finally we did and all the caterpillars hatched into butterflies a few weeks later!

[@Tempestzzzz]

UPDATE: Found out a dark secret about Monarchs. Had to separate the 2 big ones (2 cm long nearly) from 2 slightly smaller ones. I had 5 that included one newly hatched baby. But when I carefully removed the leaves I could only find 4. Where was baby? I looked and looked. I mean I really looked.Went over the old leaves several time. I could not find it. It slowly dawned and me...I went to the INTERNET and typed in a question in AI Chat. Sadly there were sites that confirmed what (if you can believe the Internet) that Monarch Caterpillars can be cannibalistic. Actually saw a video of a Caterpillar eating a Monarch egg. Maybe the stress of being put in a new environment triggered something. Have you run into this? I confess it shook me up a bit. In a week ALL will have a separate jar. @@ellseykaygardens

[@ellseykaygardens]

I have heard of it and watched for it, and don’t keep too many caterpillars together just in case - but I’ve only really had an issue when they’re different sizes. A big one will eat a little one, I’ve found, but I’ve had no issues with the same size ones in the same container. Good luck!! I haven’t had swallowtails eat each other at all

[@Tempestzzzz]

Thanks. Really something new for me.@@ellseykaygardens

[@williambernstein4313]

I raised fifty monarch caterpillars...... those things devoured three milkweed plants!! We went to get more and transferred the caterpillars to the new plants. Once they were fully grown, they left the host plant and we knew what that meant. Most of them pupated under our wooden fence.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Ha! I’ve had this happen with swallowtails, too. They finish the dill and then they go ‘rogue’!

[@williambernstein4313]

@@ellseykaygardens yes and I was telling my friend the swallowtail caterpillars pupate on the side of a branch or stick....and form a girdle around their mid section.

[@bethhurewitz5647]

I would have appreciated to see the size of the jar you used, where you placed the jar indoors, and more panning than so much closeup shots.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Ha, panning would just have shown my messy kitchen! The jar size isn’t very important - bigger than the caterpillar/leaf combo. We use all kinds, usually tall empty salsa or peanut butter jars

[@GoRodent]

​@@ellseykaygardens Where do you keep the jars with the caterpillars in them?

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@GoRodent on my kitchen island! But a table, counter, shelf etc. will work

[@ericaswartz1917]

This was beautiful! Thank you! I was about to buy one of those hatchery kits from Amazon, but started to wonder if there are better ways. Now I'm curious...if I don't typically see monarchs around my yard, does that mean I probably don't milkweed? And more importantly, will my butterflies not he able to eat once we set them free without the milkweed? We tend to get very pretty black and blue butterflies every summer, but I'm not sure what they are!

[@ellseykaygardens]

The butterfly can eat from all sorts of plants, it’s just the caterpillars that depend on milkweed alone. So you might or might not! Milkweeds often grow in public places, like sides of roads or in parks. If you find some, you can collect seeds in the fall and plant your own (store the seeds in the freezer for a few weeks before you plant them - and be prepared they may take a year or two to become established and attract laying monarchs).

[@ellseykaygardens]

www.growmilkweedplants.com/map.html - you can find which milkweeds are native to your area here. An alternative to finding a plant and saving seeds is to buy the seeds or a seedling, or check local Facebook/kijiji etc. groups. But even if you collect milkweed leaves from elsewhere and raise butterflies at home, and never have milkweed on your own property, the butterflies will be fine. They are great at finding things to eat and finding milkweed to lay eggs upon - they can travel many miles a day!

[@ericaswartz1917]

Oh thank you so much for this information! I have a 3 year old who loves butterflies! I'm so excited to try this with her!

[@denisef1153]

@@ericaswartz1917maybe get a fish aquarium. That’s what I’m thinking of doing. Instead of water and fish I’ll do milkweed and monarch’s. We need to help the Monarch’s. They are in the endangered list I heard from several people. And the internet.

[@leacebee5892]

What kind of container? How big? Add moist paper towel? Appreciate this helpful video but if i could add s7ggestions one would be to show us the container and maybe give us a few more deets. Ty 🙂

[@ellseykaygardens]

There are lots of ‘right’ answers, but I’ll make a video showing exactly how I have my inside set up :)

[@onetwocue]

Common milkweed has over taken my flower beds. Is it bad that i want to round up them? But after watching this, i might change my mind.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Don’t feel badly! I get it - every year I decide how much I will permit and how much I will pull back. Last year I let it share my asparagus bed and one of my garden beds, in addition to growing in the cracks of my pavers and between my currant bushes - but I pulled at least half of what it tried to grow. Later in the season I pulled a bunch of seedlings from under my kids’ play structure (a lot of which had eggs on it!! I kept the eggs and let them hatch). The butterflies will appreciate if you let some milkweed grow - as much as you have room for! But don’t worry about yanking the ones that are in your way. The butterflies and other pollinators will appreciate your other flowers, too!

[@ayushij13]

Do we need to make some holes in the jar or jar lid for that air can flow?

[@ellseykaygardens]

No! Just make sure it’s only loosely placed on top and not trapping too much heat or humidity

[@rochelhoffman3637]

I noticed you used a regular jar. What do you do about making sure the caterpillar/chrysalis has enough air?

[@ellseykaygardens]

I lift the lid about once a day, and even when it’s in place it’s always just placed over the top - not air tight

[@rochelhoffman3637]

@@ellseykaygardens thank you! We have caterpillars and eggs disappearing from our milkweed daily! I really want to bring a few in! Your informative video has helped me feel more confident about bringing them in! Thank you!!!!!!

[@brookewalker1858]

Do you have to spray them with water when they’re in there cocoons ??

[@ellseykaygardens]

Nope!

[@GoRodent]

After they turn into butterflies how long do you keep them in the jar drying off their wings until you open the jar and release them?

[@ellseykaygardens]

We watch them for cues - usually we will completely open the jar and put it somewhere they can have shelter, or come out as they like. Sometimes they're attached to the lid and we move the lid to a sheltered place outside (and balance it). Sometimes they want to hang out for up to a full day, sometimes they are ready to leave sooner. Usually, even when they leave, they hang out around the garden for several hours seemingly getting their bearings.

[@ellseykaygardens]

There have been a few times when they have hatched while we're away or asleep, and we open the jar outside as soon as we notice. Other times we can see them hatching, and very shortly after that we give them the possibility of freedom

[@GoRodent]

@@ellseykaygardens I just want to thank you so much for all your answers and quick replies as I am taking care of butterflies now and I am glad someone answered right away. Again thank you so much you are so kind.

[@ellseykaygardens]

You’re so welcome!! Best of luck, those butterflies are lucky to have you!

[@user-ys2qc5vx3z]

i had a question! if milk weed leaves are harmful to us, shouldn’t we not be touching jt? and im rlly hoping on being able to raise a butterfly but where i live i rarely see butterflies. would buying them be safe and if so where should i buy them?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Milkweed contains chemicals that are toxic to us - but as long as you wash your hands you’ll be fine! Some people even EAT milkweed (in small amounts, well cooked). I’m not brave enough for that, and I try not to touch the milky sap, but I’ve had no problems touching the leaves, moving the caterpillars, etc. Buying butterflies rarely works well, but certainly buying milkweed is a great idea! You can check this map to see what kind is native to your area: www.growmilkweedplants.com/map.html

[@blessed_designs]

If anybody's wondering the butterfly that they hatched is actually a male because as you see on one of their lines there's like two big circles so that's how you can tell if it's a male if it doesn't have any of that then that is a female so it's a male guys

[@donahartstein6576]

Good morning! I have a question for you. I live in Florida and have had a hard time finding milkweed I currently have a tropical milk weed. Someone told me to make sure to get native milkweed not the tropical, she said it’s poisonous to the monarch butterfly ? Is this true? I’m waiting until I have enough milkweed before I start raising them inside.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Hi! It’s true that there are better milkweed to plant in certain areas, and it’s whatever is native to your area that’s the best for the ecosystem. You might find the ‘right’ seeds here monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/milkweed/milkweed-regions-seed-needs/ The non-native milkweed varieties aren’t going to be poisonous to the butterflies, but they could crowd out other native plants/be invasive in a worst case scenario. Milkweed tends to be poisonous to most animals, with the exception of monarchs - which is one of their defence mechanisms and makes the monarchs less vulnerable to attack as they grow. If I were you I’d keep the milkweed you have (especially as it will get fuller in the second year you’ve had it), keep an eye on how much it spreads, consider also planting some native seeds, and enjoy watching the monarchs :)

[@birdsanimalslovers.]

Hello I have started my new KZbin Channel. I love you birds and animals. Please, Vijet my channel and see my videos and tell me your opinion.

[@GoRodent]

Don't they break or damage their wings when trying to climb out of the jar?

[@ellseykaygardens]

We give them wide mouthed jars - and they don’t seem to, they can crawl out without their wings folding. They’ll open them against leaves and flower petals etc. once they’re fully out in the air with seemingly the same amount of force that they might open their wings against the side of the jar. We think when they’re in control, they know how to keep their wings safe. It’s why we say we let them crawl on us and touch us, but we don’t touch them. When you see me take one out of the jar, I’ve let it crawl on my covered finger and then very carefully manoeuvred it to the outside without brushing its wings against the jar at all

[@nadiamatejek2236]

Do you have any issues with aphids...I was told some are okay but there are way too many infesting my milkweed leaving a mess including funghi...I'm hoping there is an easy way to rid them...besides lady bugs...I've done that but they all left after a few days 😁

[@ellseykaygardens]

Not specifically on my milkweed, but I’ve had them other places. Trap plants can help ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3XSgZWgi7GMn9k ), or spraying with water or neem oil. If you can attract ladybugs by planting a wide variety of other plants, that is much more helpful than buying ladybugs (which will just fly away as you know!!). I have lots of dill around my garden, you could try that!

[@mepiyu1]

Can you raise Monarch butterflies in Ontario, Canada? I am homeschooling my daughter and thought this would be a good way to learn about the butterflies and do our bit to help the species

[@ellseykaygardens]

I am in Ontario - so yes!! In very northern Ontario (an hour or two’s drive north of Thunder Bay) you may have difficulty, but in most of Ontario it’s quite easy :)

[@nadiamatejek5121]

What kind of milkweed is that...the leaves are so large?

[@ellseykaygardens]

It’s common milkweed - I also have some swamp milkweed which is admittedly prettier and more self-contained with skinnier leaves! The swamp milkweed lives in my raised bed butterfly garden and also gets lots of eggs, but I have to change the leaves faster for the caterpillars

[@ButterflyManar98]

Can you please tell me how many times i have to feed the monarch a day? I now feed them twice, once in the morning and once at night is this good? Or should I feed them only once ?

[@ellseykaygardens]

More when the caterpillar is bigger, less when it’s smaller! Varies from 3-4 times a week to 1-2 a day - we go by what the leaf looks like. If it looks limp or dry and sad, we change it (or if it’s all been eaten). We loosely cover the jar or container - keeps the caterpillar in a safe place, and also keeps the area just a bit higher humidity, to keep the leaf fresh for longer

[@ButterflyManar98]

@@ellseykaygardens sorry i meant a monarch butterfly not a caterpillar 🙏🏼

[@ellseykaygardens]

Oh we don’t feed them at all! We just let them out and they feed themselves :). I suppose I plant a lot of flowers, if that counts

[@violetann3156]

Can you put multiple caterpillars in one container?

[@ellseykaygardens]

We have done this, and we’ve sometimes been fine with it (I.e. all caterpillars do well) and sometimes our caterpillar numbers have dwindled a bit… if hungry, and if one caterpillar is bigger than its container-mate, they are known to snack on one another! We have to be in a pinch to group them together now, but there are still times when it’s not practical to have one per container. So be careful, give them lots of fresh milkweed, and don’t put caterpillars too close to eggs or bigger caterpillars too close to smaller caterpillars!

[@voldyisoldy]

Hey I have a question So I collect dried up flowers and I found a caterpillar on a dried flower . I can't recognise what species it is so I dunno what leaves to feed it but I wanna raise it cz I think it'll die if I don't . What do I do?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Oooh, tough one. What kind of flower? Was anything planted nearby? May take some detective work…. Although if the caterpillar is quite large, you could just put it in a jar with a loose cover and some sticks going from the bottom to the top, and see if it’s ready to form a chrysalis. Sometimes they go early if they don’t have any food and are big enough

[@voldyisoldy]

@@ellseykaygardens It's kind of small and the flower wasn't planted nearby. Someone gave it to me😢 I dunno anything about butterflies which sucks

[@ellseykaygardens]

Perhaps it’s best chance would be to released into a field, then? Tough one :(

[@voldyisoldy]

@@ellseykaygardens 😢 okay but is there really nothing that can be done?

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@voldyisoldy the trouble is not knowing what kind of caterpillar you found - releasing it means it may find what it wants to eat, keeping it means you’re just guessing. You could try doing a google image search to narrow things down. You could also try to just give it a variety of fresh leaves and hope it finds something tasty. Milkweed, dill, lettuce, cabbage, grass, dandelion flowers, buttercups, speedwell…. As many as you can find

[@3catkids]

The body is fat so the butterfly can pump the fluids into it's wings. That's what makes them expand. Leftover fluids will be excreted. Please correct. I raised them for years as "The Butterfly Lady".

[@ellseykaygardens]

Cool! Thanks for sharing

[@rosaleepruett3433]

If u leave them Outside will the hatch

[@ellseykaygardens]

Yes, but in that case just leave them on the milkweed (in a jar or other container they may cook in the sun!). The other issue with leaving them outside is that they are vulnerable to predators and are much less likely to make it to butterfly stage - but if you have lots of eggs and milkweed and a sheltered location you can see many butterflies emerge all on their own over the course of a season!

[@Liannabelle8]

You don't keep them in glass jars, do you?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Yes, glass or plastic - whatever we have. We keep them out of the sun so the poor caterpillars don’t bake, and make sure there’s a little air flow

[@zelmaCress-wr9rl]

Can you put 2 monarch caterpillars in a single habitat from Insect lore ?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Yes! As long as they each have enough to eat

[@zelmaCress-wr9rl]

@@ellseykaygardens how many 🍃, how often should I change them?

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@zelmaCress-wr9rl they just need enough to eat and enough space for everyone to hang

[@GoRodent]

How do you clean the jar out with the cat in there?

[@ellseykaygardens]

We don’t until it flies away. We clear away the caterpillar poop and things when it’s still munching leaves, but when it goes to hang we only make sure there’s still airflow. Otherwise we don’t touch anything until the butterfly hatches

[@GoRodent]

@@ellseykaygardens That's what I meant when it's still a Caterpillar munching on leaves how do you clean the jar out

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@GoRodent oh, just pick up the leaf the caterpillar is on! We tip the old leaves and debris into the compost and put a fresh leaf in the jar, then put the leaf the caterpillar is on (with the caterpillar) back in the jar

[@beand4693]

I have 9 eggs and 11 newly hatched babies and I’m worried about my supply of milkweed. For some reason I found all 20 eggs on only two small plants. I have about 6 of these small milkweed but there’s more eggs outside. What can I do if I start to run out?

[@ellseykaygardens]

Woohoo, so many eggs!! That’s awesome. Do you live by any nature areas? Sides of highways or bigger roads count. I used to think only homogenous grass grew in those places, but once I knew to look for it it’s amazing how much wild milkweed I found all over the place. If you can, take a few minutes to walk a wild section close to where you live. Chances are you’ll find some milkweed, and if you do then you can harvest some leaves for your butterflies. Best of luck!!

[@beand4693]

@@ellseykaygardens i can’t drive so I don’t have many places but I live within a lot of neighborhoods. I think my neighbor has some but I’m scared to go and ask if I can pick off of their plants. Other than that I haven’t seen much butterfly weed (native to my area)

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@beand4693 what about ‘hell strips’? Those areas that aren’t technically owned by neighbours? That’s a common place to find some where I live. Those butterflies are lucky to have you!

[@virginiafriend9811]

Not to mention the effects on pollinators of toxic ingredients in Geoengineering, commonly known as chemtrails.

[@jnuh7710]

Should I be concerned that the chrysalis' are still green but getting lighter at day 14? Thought I would be seeing more change in color by now ☹ nights have been getting colder (low 60's, upper 50's) 🤔

[@ellseykaygardens]

Do you see any brown spots? If it’s still uniformly green (with little gold flecks in a line around the top, maybe), then I wouldn’t worry yet if it’s a bit paler (although it should be subtle). Brown spots, or another week without hatching, and unfortunately the butterfly probably didn’t make it. My hatch rates always go down as we head into September :(

[@jnuh7710]

@@ellseykaygardens thank you for the reply! What do you know..24 hours later and 15 days exactly, they are becoming translucent! Hoping for all 5 to hatch successfully! 🤞🤞

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@jnuh7710 that’s great news!!! Good luck :)

[@ariemast1236]

How long is this cycle 0:28

[@ellseykaygardens]

Sorry, which cycle?

[@harmonyrutland7289]

🥲🥲🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

[@fleethefacilitypro]

I'm broke and don't have garden so I can't do this🥺😭

[@ellseykaygardens]

Sorry to hear! Often milkweed will grow wild along sides of the road or public fields, or in public gardens - if you have somewhere close to you, you could have a look at the leaves. I’ve done this on outings lots of times :)

[@dc-wp8oc]

Why can't adults use words like "defecate" or "excrement" instead of "poop"?

[@ellseykaygardens]

They can, they just often choose simpler words to convey meaning quickly without looking pretentious. It’s the same reason I usually call the appendages at the end of my hand ‘fingers’ instead of ‘phalanges’ or ‘digits’.

[@ellseykaygardens]

Also, I have kids. ‘Poop’ > ‘feces’, ‘stool’, ‘waste’ etc

[@dc-wp8oc]

@@ellseykaygardens So, now it is considered "pretentious" to use English correctly? Why is it always about a race to the bottom?

[@ellseykaygardens]

@@dc-wp8oc not what I meant. I absolutely agree with using language correctly and for precision, and choosing the most appropriate word - but in this case, I think ‘poop’ was appropriate. Using ‘excrement’ is also correct, but not more precise and not more correct than ‘poop’

[@DvilleBirdz]

WHY would you raise Monarchs in jars? This is inhumane. They need space and a large netted enclosure to grow, breathe, have adequate ventilation and pupate. The small jar is unimaginable! I can't imagine how many actually survive to become butterflies.

[@ellseykaygardens]

The caterpillars are in jars, and the chrysalis, to protect them. As soon as they hatch and dry off/are safe to fly they are released. We have close to a 100% survival rate to butterfly :)

[@Kristen10-22]

The first year my milkweed isn’t being eaten 🥲

[@ellseykaygardens]

You mean not eaten by monarch caterpillars? :(

[@christinacathcart6577]

Mine neither

[@mellowyellowmom7631]

I have a woodchuck that eats my milkweed almost as fast as I can plant it. It also ate my squash plants, but left the jalapeños alone.😂

[@darrellfinnbogason4811]

I think the first thing to understand is NOT JUST to have milkweed…but for gods sake DO NOT get that shit in your eyes. It almost blinded me once. Be VERY, VERY CAREFUL WITH MILKWEED! ✌️🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦