07/24/2026
The Life in a Day of Monarch Raising
CRVN recently had the honor of interviewing JohnPaul, a member of CRVN, about his current hobby. That is, raising Monarch butterflies. It is actually more than a hobby - it is his passion. And that passion has a purpose. JohnPaul is on a mission to raise 100 Monarch butterflies this summer. Why does he do this? How does he do this? Read on to find out the answers to those questions and so much more. And make sure you click on the video below to watch JohnPaul demonstrate his Monarch-raising facility.
What first interested you in Monarch butterflies? Was there a single moment you remember that set you on this course?
I started with Monarch butterflies back in 2024, after a cousin told me about her experience raising them and why she was doing it. Last year, my mother found a photo of me as a young kid raising butterflies from a kit. I was always interested in bugs, but this feels much different because I’m now protecting the eggs and caterpillars rather than leaving their chances in the wild and giving them a much better chance to become butterflies.
What did you know about Monarchs before you started? What have you learned since?
I’m still learning and will always continue to learn. My grandma-in-law just gifted me butterfly books from her late husband, who was an avid birder and butterfly enthusiast. I never got the chance to meet him, so I look forward to learning through his books. I vaguely remember learning about Monarch migration when I was a kid, but before diving in headfirst into raising them, I didn’t know much. The most important thing I’ve learned is how crucial milkweed is to the Monarch population. Monarch eggs are only laid on milkweed, and the caterpillars only eat milkweed their whole life, so something everyone can do to help the Monarchs is to let milkweed grow.
Describe the stages that they go through while you are raising them. How does it feel when you release them?
Monarch butterflies undergo a complete metamorphosis with four life stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly. A female Monarch lays her eggs on milkweed, the only plant Monarch caterpillars can eat. This is when I typically find them and bring them inside. After hatching, the caterpillar passes through five growth stages called instars. Between each instar, it sheds its skin, growing from a tiny larva into a large, striped caterpillar whose primary job is to eat and store energy. After the fifth instar, the caterpillar forms a green chrysalis. Inside, it undergoes a remarkable transformation, reorganizing its body into an adult butterfly. About 2 weeks later, the Monarch emerges, expands its wings, and begins its adult life feeding on nectar, reproducing, and, in some generations, migrating thousands of miles.
Releasing the butterfly is the most exciting yet nerve-wracking part! You want their wings to expand and dry fully, and you must move them from their container to outside without damaging their wings. Every time I release one, the feeling is amazing. They typically fly to a tree in the near distance and allow me to watch them with binoculars for an hour or so.
How do you find your larvae? What is the process like? Can you walk us through what you do?
I try to find them at their egg stage and occasionally find some larvae along the way and collect those as well. I started looking at the end of May this year, hoping to catch the first few eggs of the season. I go out in the morning and inspect every milkweed plant down my road, including the small baby plants that pop up between mowings. The eggs are normally laid on the underside of the plant and are a tiny white dot, so I look under one leaf; if that’s empty, then I hold that leaf to bend the plant each way to inspect the other leaves' undersides. I try to go every 3 days, and when it starts getting to high season, I’ll go every morning. Eggs are targeted by ants and wasps, so it’s important to check frequently.
What does your incubation setup look like, and how has it evolved over time?
At first, it was a large tank with wooden poles and all the caterpillars together. Now, I put each one in its own clear container. It evolved into a simpler setup for two main reasons: they were cocooning on the side of the tank rather than the pole, and there are a variety of issues that could happen with them all together in the same enclosure. It’s also much easier to clean and keep track of each Monarch and its life cycle progression.
What do Monarchs eat and drink at each stage (larva, chrysalis, butterfly) and how do you manage that care routine?
I only feed the larvae, and they only eat milkweed leaves. They don’t drink water per se, but I do mist the tanks to imitate morning dew and keep the leaves in water to maintain freshness. At the later large stage, they can consume two large leaves a day, and on those days, I feel like when I place the leaf in the tank, by the time I turn around, it’s fully consumed.
What’s the most delicate and/or nerve-wracking part of the process?
Once the butterfly emerges because the wings are so delicate and they need to properly spread their wings. I also get nervous cleaning the tank once the caterpillar starts to prepare to cocoon because a lot is happening underneath the skin and they are vulnerable at this time, so they can’t fall or get shaken up too much.
Have you ever lost one, and if so, what did you learn from it?
Yes, thankfully only two myself last year. It’s hard to pinpoint why it happened, but it seemed it was trying to shed from one instar stage to the next and got stuck. I’ve seen people lose larvae because they let the milkweed leaf mold and kept too much moisture in the tank. Daily leaf change is important.
So far you have raised and released over 50 Monarchs. This year you're aiming for 100. What's driving your goal? Is it personal, ecological, or both?
I feel I am set up for larger numbers this year because I know where to look and I started much earlier this year. Last year my husband and I were lucky enough to see a Monarch butterfly lay its eggs, one at a time on many different plants, and this gave us insight into her patterns and behaviors. She was laying the eggs on the tiniest leaves of the baby plants in the mowed section of the field near the larger plants in the unmowed section. This really gave me the drive to check these before the town/homeowner’s association mowed the baby plants.
Can you help others understand the migration pattern of the Monarchs? Do you name them? Do you find yourself getting attached?
If you want to get in-depth about the migration, I suggest finding some good articles or books on it, as I am not super knowledgeable. The general gist is Monarch migration is often described as a multi-generation relay race. The butterflies that survive the winter in Mexico fly north in the spring and lay eggs before they die. Their offspring continue moving farther north, mating and laying eggs along the way. Over several generations, Monarchs spread across the eastern United States and into southern Canada. In late summer and fall, a special ‘super generation’ is born. Unlike the earlier generations, these Monarchs delay reproduction and focus on storing energy for migration. They travel thousands of miles back to Mexico, where they spend the winter. The following spring, they begin the journey north again, starting the cycle over.
Monarchs are now listed as endangered. How urgent does that feel to you personally, and how does raising them connect to the larger fight to save them?
It makes finding each egg a special gift of hope in raising their numbers back up. I dedicate a lot of time flipping leaves in hopes of helping future Monarchs continue the cycle, and if there are more Monarch enthusiasts, or milkweed planters, or less mowing down of milkweed, the better!
As a member of the Capital Region Vegan Network, how does your commitment to animal welfare and the planet connect to this work with Monarchs specifically?
I’ve read that each Monarch egg has less than a 5% chance to become a butterfly. That really stuck out as a desperate cry for help, and with the eggs I find, I have over a 95% success rate. Once they are butterflies, they are great pollinators and a beacon of happiness to so many that a world without them would feel less special. Their story of transformation is beautiful.
Milkweed is their only larval food source, and it's disappearing. What do you think everyday people could do, even in a small yard or on a balcony, to help?
Plant native milkweed and stop removing it from yards. Consider mowing less frequently and carve out spaces where you don’t mow at all. Collecting and distributing milkweed seed pods is very easy, and they will grow! The flowers are great for the pollinators and smell good.
Your photos are incredible. Is there one image that captures something you still find hard to put into words?
The magic of the hours between emerging from their cocoon and taking their first flight. You know when a human child takes their first steps, I get to experience that with each butterfly release, and it amazes me each time.
Have your photos or story inspired anyone else in your community to start raising Monarchs? If there was enough interest, would you be willing to do a Monarch butterfly workshop?
I hope they have and they continue to inspire people to help the Monarchs! Raising them is such a joy, and I would love to share that with people in a workshop. This year I won’t be handing off any eggs to people, but if people are inclined to search for them, I’d love to help them with their setup.
What's your dream for this work five years from now?
I’m in a condo with no land of my own at the moment; maybe that will change, and I will have the ability to raise even more each year. I will be continuing this work for many years to come and look forward to increasing the monarch population one egg at a time.
Watch this VIDEO
The Day in the Life of Raising a Monarch
JohnPaul shares his Monarch-raising setup and demonstrates how he raises Monarchs from egg to a beautiful butterfly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y_HfCkzONA
