How to Raise Monarch Butterflies

Locate a garden or field containing milk weed plants and search the underside of the leaves for monarch eggs. They will be small football shaped bumps not much bigger than a pin head. Break off the entire leaf, being careful not to disturb the egg. Monarch butterflies generally only lay one egg on each plant to ensure that their offspring have ample food.

Place the leaf on a damp paper towel and keep moist until the egg hatches; generally in three to five days. The top of the egg will turn a dark color just before the larvae emerges.

Move the leaves containing the larvae to a clear container such as a small aquarium with a screen lid. Place several fresh milk weed stems with leaves inside the container as a food source. A clear container is best for viewing and the lid needs to have holes small enough to keep the larvae in while still allowing air to circulate.

Replace the milk weed as needed for the next several days but raise the lid carefully as there may be larvae on it. At the same time, be sure to dump the waste accumulating in the bottom of your container. Like any other creature, monarch larvae need a clean habitat to survive.

Watch for the larvae to crawl to the top of the container, or top of a branch if you provided one, and hang in a "J" formation. This is the beginning of their pupa stage and in a matter of minutes they will attach themselves to the branch and shed their skin. Then they form their chrysalis over the next few hours.

Observe the chrysalis for the next week or so and take note of any changes in color. When the adult is ready to emerge, it will turn dark. The chrysalis is clear and what you are actually seeing are the dark black and orange colors of the monarch butterfly.

Allow newly emerged butterflies several hours to dry their wings before handling. If they emerged in the morning, release them outside at the end of the day. You can wait until the following morning without feeding them but no longer than one day. If possible, release them outdoors near flowers.