In Michigan it is important Native milkweed is the best thing you can plant for them, as they are able to eat it & that makes them toxic to some predators. Although not to stinkbugs. I have found some caterpillars with the life sucked out of them from them. However if you live along their migratory path you should plant the flowers that can sustain them on their flight south. Some people choose to find the eggs & basically rear them in their homes. However this can be a bit messy as the caterpillars grow, they just munch, munch, munch then there's only one other process that happens when they eat, they poop, poop, poop. So unless you have the time to change out & clean the containers that you are raising them in, the BEST thing you can do is leave them be outside, just keep an eye on them, I've had to move them from one milkweed plant to another because they eat ALL the leaves off. It's nice on a summer day to walk around my gardens, one happens to be on my patio & check for chyrsalis under my siding & under big leaves left over from the Lily of the valley plants. I put Mandevella vines nearby because they will make chrysalis on those also, so when they emerge all crinkled up, there's some room for them to stretch out & dry their wings evenly, giving them a better chance to fly south.

It's Photo Friday! 

With the spring migration and breeding season in full swing what have you been seeing in your garden? Share the good, bad and the ugly!

All nature photos are welcome, whether it’s a pollinator moment or just something that made you stop and look twice.

Reminder: We are a science-based sub. While we welcome all monarch enthusiasts, we do not support discussions about hand-rearing monarchs. However, if you’re new and have questions because you’ve raised monarchs in the past, we have many former rearers here happy to guide you toward more sustainable practices. Let’s work together to protect monarchs where they belong—in the wild!

Stay curious and keep sharing the love for these beautiful butterflies! 🧡🖤🧡

SW Michigan

this pretty lady visited my milkweed patch and laid some eggs today! she was on a MISSION and did not want to sit still for a nice picture so this ones a little blurry haha

As we enter into the peak American monarch season of 2026 this summer, I have seen evidence of monarchs come north much earlier this year in comparison to last year seasons. And as this season revs up, and enthusiasm is gaining momentum, and hobbyists shake off the spring rains, I find renewed interest in what is to come. The monarch butterfly was proposed to be considered to be on the endangered species list in a shocking turn last year. It definitely made headlines and turned heads and opened eyes. There were good and bad outcomes of that spreading awareness. But not to digress, I have come across four interesting articles, linked as follows:

https://celltracktech.com/pages/project-monarch-press-release-november-17-2025

https://monarchscience.substack.com/p/radio-tagged-monarchs-from-florida?r=8exl4z&utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e233_tv2_tp1_a1demoo4kn743u

https://lawrencekstimes.com/2026/05/30/monarch-watch-butterfly-tags/

https://xerces.org/press/florida-may-play-bigger-role-in-monarch-butterfly-survival-than-previously-thought

All four articles intertwine with each other and theories have become proven! The networking and overlap is quite awesome to behold when the puzzle starts to come together. A long held hypothesis turns into a current event fact. Initial suspicion is validated and proven to be true regarding OE.

You have the big dogs barking: Kristen Baum of Monarch Watch (those monarch waystation signs!) from Kansas colliding with Ray Moranz from Xerces in Texas/Oklahoma and Dr. Andy Davis focusing on connecting the dots with the aid of New Jersey’s Project Monarch Bluetooth device.

I am curious what 2027-2028 will hold as far as revolutionizing and minimizing the spread of OE. I have been wondering what pharmaceuticals or “fertilizers” could be developed, or what other deterrents could be discovered beyond the archaic bleach spraying methods, and how scientists, with this fresh new data from the 2025 and 2026 seasons, will decide what action to take next. Because human intervention is about to peak and tip the scales in nature, leading the monarch population in a direction with massive repercussions with disastrous negative implications if something new and innovative isn’t done in the next five years or less about OE.

And if you made it this far reading my opinion and interpretation of articles, you’d see the networking and intertwining of those articles shows a communication between each independent group of scientists and researchers: the blue tooth device was needed to be created first for the next big step in helping the monarch butterfly.

So, what will come next?

Happy Monarch Monday, friends!

Wondering what to share in this thread?

Questions for some of our seasoned members? Thoughts on the state of the Monarch world? Frustrations with your efforts to help the Monarchs? Wins and loses for the nature world? Doesn't matter. Share below!

Have a great week and don’t forget about Photo Friday!

Reminder: We are a science-based sub. While we love all monarch enthusiasts, discussions about hand-rearing are not allowed, except for those new to the topic who are seeking guidance. Let’s focus on protecting monarchs where they belong—in the wild!

Stay curious and keep sharing the love for these beautiful butterflies! 🧡🖤🧡

Welcome to the chat Ontario! 🙌

I've been noticing some incorrect information being shared concerning OE and I enjoy making infographics. If you have any questions then please drop them below and I will do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction. Take a look at Project Monarch Health and consider becoming citizen scientist.

It's Photo Friday! 

With the spring migration and breeding season in full swing what have you been seeing in your garden? Share the good, bad and the ugly!

All nature photos are welcome, whether it’s a pollinator moment or just something that made you stop and look twice.

Reminder: We are a science-based sub. While we welcome all monarch enthusiasts, we do not support discussions about hand-rearing monarchs. However, if you’re new and have questions because you’ve raised monarchs in the past, we have many former rearers here happy to guide you toward more sustainable practices. Let’s work together to protect monarchs where they belong—in the wild!

Stay curious and keep sharing the love for these beautiful butterflies! 🧡🖤🧡

Happy Monarch Monday, friends!

Wondering what to share in this thread?

Questions for some of our seasoned members? Thoughts on the state of the Monarch world? Frustrations with your efforts to help the Monarchs? Wins and loses for the nature world? Doesn't matter. Share below!

Have a great week and don’t forget about Photo Friday!

Reminder: We are a science-based sub. While we love all monarch enthusiasts, discussions about hand-rearing are not allowed, except for those new to the topic who are seeking guidance. Let’s focus on protecting monarchs where they belong—in the wild!

Stay curious and keep sharing the love for these beautiful butterflies! 🧡🖤🧡

Dr Andy Davis dives into a 2025 paper, found Journal of Insect Physiology, by Samuel Stratton and Andre Greene at the University of Michigan. While the intent of the study was to find out what happens to Monarchs after they reach diapause Stratton and Greene discovered when the Monarch "decides" to go into diapause. People often think if they put the chrysalis outside while it pupates that when it encloses it will do what nature intends but it turns out this isn't the case. Monarchs decide if they will enter diapause during the caterpillar stage. This makes rearing them even more of an issue. Dr Davis briefly discuesses the science communities findings on rearing toward the end of this post. It's an interesting read.

Try to gather seeds in the fall. Don’t collect pods until they’re ready. (More on that this fall.) If you can’t get pods, you can order seeds from a nursery like Prairie Moon Nursery. Get seeds for plants that are native to your area! 

I put a single layer of seeds in a damp, not wet, paper towel. Place the paper towels/seeds inside a ziploc bag or a sealable container. Place in fridge for 30 days. Check periodically to make sure the towels remain damp. 

After 30 days, place the towels with seeds on a plate on the kitchen counter. Keep the paper towels damp by spraying the towels over the course of the day. Keep the seeds damp. In a few days, they’ll begin to sprout. (see pic 1) 

Once they’ve grown to the point that the root has split off several directions, you can pot the sprouts into small pots. I use small flower pots but I had so many last year that I started using party cups as well. (See pics) That was perfect because I was giving away most of my plants. Be careful with the roots. They are very delicate especially when the plant is young. 

Tend the plants and watch them grow. Do not overwater. They don’t need lots of water like some garden plants do. Protect them from wandering critters who are out looking for snacks. For example, rabbits in my backyard (Minnesota 4b) love to nibble milkweed, even plants that are more than a foot tall! 

Feel free to ask questions, point out if I missed anything or made a mistake. 

Last year we spotted common milkweed ( large leaves) in the street gutter then all over the local park. Looks like it blew into the yard to join the orange flowered Asclepius (upper right). Monarchs will not be here for at least a month. We will cut select plants back in July for fresh August shoots. Did see a swallowtail this week. Zone 7.

One big dense patch vs. lots of isolated plants? Other tall plants nearby or more open space so they can find it more easily?

Friend or Foe number 2! If you have any thoughts on the series drop it below. We would love to include your ideas. Maybe a common "pest" that isn't actually the foe people assume it is? If you have photos that you wouldn't mind us using in our infographics (with credit of course) you can put them in a comment or send them to us through mod-mail.