How to Raise and Release Monarch Butterflies from Your Home!

Have you ever wanted to witness the magic of raising and releasing monarch butterflies from your own residence? On Wednesday July 15th, 2026, I had the pleasure of speaking at Irondequoit Public Library about my experience of raising and releasing monarch butterflies from my backyard since 2017. We had a great turn out of attendees ranging from toddlers to older adults. We had guests who have done this before and guests hearing about the process for the first time. In this blog post, I’ll share a brief summary of what I covered at the event, so that you, dear reader, can decide if this is something you’d like to participate in as well! 

But wait, can’t I just purchase one of those Rearing Butterfly kits online? 

Please don’t purchase live insects online! False Conservation Value Alert: Rearing kits do not actually help wild conservation efforts. Confining live creatures in artificial, disposable plastic cups and shipping them through the mail compromises basic care and is bad for the environment. 

High mortality rates! In home or classroom settings, improper feeding, temperature shocks, or trapped emergences from the chrysalis frequently lead to deformities or death before release.

True population support relies on protecting habitats and planting native host plants. The monarch butterfly is a threatened species. Monarch populations face severe threats from habitat loss (especially deforestation at their Mexican wintering grounds), climate change, and the reduction of milkweed, which is the sole food source for monarch caterpillars. The widespread use of agricultural herbicides and pesticides has also heavily impacted their survival. However, raising this important pollinator naturally from your residence increases their population by protecting them from predators and other dangers.

So what is the native host of the monarch butterfly? 

Common Milkweed (Latin name: Asclepias Syriaca. Haudenosaunee name: O-ni-ah-sah, which generally translates to "milk-like" to describe the plant's sap) and Swamp Milkweed (Latin name: Asclepias incarnata. Haudenosaunee name not known). 

If you rent or live in an apartment, a potted milkweed plant will also attract monarch butterflies. If you want to plant milkweed in your yard or garden, it’s important to know the difference. Common Milkweed has a lateral root system and will spread, but Swamp Milkweed has a more clumped root system and should “stay put” in your pollinator garden. 

This photo shows the difference: 

If you plant it, they will come! It’s that simple.  

But wait, when and how do I plant milkweed in my yard? 

Milkweed seeds need to be Stratified. Stratification is what I like to call, “experiencing winter.” Milkweed seeds need to experience a period of cold temperatures to stimulate germination. Stratification is a critical process that helps mimic nature's conditions to break seed dormancy.

If you want to plant in the Spring, you can refrigerate the seeds. In early Spring place seeds between two moistened paper towels or in a sealed plastic bag with a damp cloth.  This will help maintain humidity and prevent dry out. Place seeds in the refrigerator at a temperature between 35-40 degrees F (middle shelf or back of fridge to avoid fluctuations from door opening and closing). After 30-60 days, seeds are ready to be sowed in a pot of soil.

If you prefer to plant in the Fall, plant milkweed seeds in late October, early November. If necessary, moisten the area where seeds will be planted. Use your finger to dig a shallow hole. Cover seeds with already-moist soil. Don’t forget to label where you plant them!

Milkweed is planted and growing. Now you can go on a Monarch egg hunt! 

Here are some photos of what the monarch egg looks like: 

Eggs will typically be on the underside of the monarch leaf. A great way to spot an egg is to observe a monarch laying them. If you see a monarch fluttering around your milkweed, take a moment to observe its behavior. If you notice it bending its abdomen underneath the leaf, you will soon discover an egg in that spot. 

Now that you’ve found a monarch egg, you can gather materials for your enclosure. Before monarch eggs hatch, you can lay them on a damp paper towel. Just remember that when raising monarchs we don’t want to bring them indoors to air conditioned homes. Monarchs at every stage of the life cycle are sensitive to air temperature, weather conditions and circadian rhythms. A 3 season porch is fine or creating a safe enclosure for the outdoors is best practice for their survival. There are several ways to do this. Monarch Watch has some suggestions that utilize materials from your home. You can also order a pop-up habitat from the Monarch Watch Shop, where proceeds support the Monarch Watch research organization. 

Once the egg hatches, a very hungry caterpillar will want more milkweed to eat. Milkweed stems can be cut from the milkweed in your yard, but I recommend using gardening gloves when cutting milkweed. The milky sap leaks out and it’s not something you want on your skin. Always wash your hands after handling milkweed. Place milkweed either in flower tubes or glass jars poked through foil. Feel free to ask your local garden center for a donation of old flower tubes. Let them know you’re raising and releasing monarch butterflies! One last important detail I want to share from experience: please place either a brick or a heavy rock inside your enclosure. The weight of the brick/rock will keep the enclosure from blowing away during stormy weather or high winds.  

Continue monitoring your monarch butterflies by keeping the enclosure clean of frass (caterpillar poop) and providing fresh milkweed.

Marvel at the life cycle! As you can see from my photos, you’re never too old to observe and marvel at the monarch life cycle! My kids named each and every caterpillar they raised. Here’s more information on each of the phases and stages of the monarch life cycle: 

Image from https://gf.nd.gov/pollinators/monarchs 

You’ll notice your caterpillar molt five times and grow to be 2,000 times its original size! Eventually your monarch caterpillar will wander in the enclosure to form a chrysalis.  Unfortunately, the caterpillar doesn’t always pick the best spot for making its chrysalis. Don’t interfere or interrupt the chrysalis process, even if it’s in a bad location. Once the chrysalis is complete, you can move the chrysalis by tying floss around the stem and moving it to a location that gives it plenty of room to emerge. The monarch needs 3-4 inches of space below the chrysalis to emerge. 

Photo from Homesteadandchill.com 

To hang a fallen monarch chrysalis, tie a piece of unflavored dental floss or thread gently around the stem (cremaster) and loop or pin that string to a safety pin secured to your mesh enclosure ceiling.

In Irondequoit we typically first see the monarch butterfly in mid-June each year. Some monarchs continue onto Canada and others stick around here all summer to mate and lay eggs.  The 4th generation monarchs are the ones born in late August/early September.  That 4th generation monarch has an extra large wingspan because it is also known as “the migration generation,” that travels to Mexico! This visual from Monarch Watch and Journey North helps explain the different monarch generations that occur each year: 

Eastern monarch butterflies overwinter in the high-altitude oyamel fir forests of central Mexico, primarily within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Located across the border of Michoacán and the State of Mexico. This protected area spans peaks roughly 2,400 to 3,600 meters (about 10,000 to 11,000 feet) above sea level, providing the ideal microclimate for the butterflies to hibernate between November and March. A moving documentary that documents the discovery of their hibernating area that led to conservation efforts can be found here. As monarchs arrive in Mexico in early November, Mexicans celebrate their arrival in correlation with Dios de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). 

There’s nothing like raising and releasing monarch butterflies. Experiencing first hand these precious milestones of the monarch life cycle makes one feel part of something bigger. Connecting with another species helps us connect to the land, to the bigger picture of life itself, to the universe. When I begin to connect with one species, I start to think about the ecosystem around it. It doesn’t take long to realize caring for another species is also caring for ourselves since we are also a part of nature, not separate from it.  If the monarch butterfly is healthy, we are healthy. 

Our town government is also paying attention to native plant ecosystems; the Town of Irondequoit has recently joined National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge in March thanks to advocacy by CIG, and the support of the Town Board and Supervisor Perticone. 

The monarch butterfly is also bringing youth across the continent together through the Symbolic Monarch Migration. The Symbolic Monarch Migration is a partnership project between the Monarch Joint Venture and Monarchs Across Georgia where youth in the U.S. and Canada create symbolic butterflies and send them to Mexico for the winter.  Students in schools near the Mexican monarch sanctuaries protect the symbolic butterflies and send them north the following spring. These symbolic butterflies build bridges of communication between students in Mexico, U.S. and Canada. United by the monarch butterfly, children across North American learn authentic lessons of conservation, cooperation and ambassadorship. 

Additional Resources mentioned during the presentation for you to enjoy:

Check out your local library for children’s books on the Monarch Butterfly!

Monarch Watch has an incredible online interactive Kid Zone where you can learn more fascinating facts about the monarch butterfly!

Expand your Monarch Butterfly Garden with these native plants suggested from The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Website! 

Monarch Life Cycle Coloring Sheet

Monarch Mask Craft

Thank you for reading! I hope you feel inspired by the Monarch Butterfly! If you have any additional questions, please reach out to me at corinna.lake@gmail.com. You can also find me at a Color Irondequoit Green meeting!