Swallowtail EXPERIMENT Continues

Good Weekend Royal Raiser,

I hope this message finds you SWELL 🤗

We just had our first Minnesota FREEZE of the season as the mercury fell to a frigid 27°F 🥶

The monarchs and hummingbirds have been gone for 2 weeks, and the only butterfly I’ve seen recently has been a weary winged painted lady enjoying her final days sipping nectar from zinnia blooms and Mexican sunflowers…hopefully she fluttered south before the big chill!

Meanwhile, we’ve been in kind of a holding pattern with the final two eastern black swallowtail caterpillars…

Raising Report 

I can now say with 100% certainty these 5 swallowtails would not have survived without our help because:

• wasps would have likely eaten all of them in early October (there were at least 10 caterpillars when I first saw them)

• at least 2 would have succumbed to cold temps before forming their chrysalides…and possibly all 5. It would have been a close call 🌿🐛🥶

The last 2 caterpillars are still eating parsley, but even indoors, they are growing at a snail’s pace. 🐌

I was incorrect that 3 had formed chrysalides last week, it was only two. but a third fat cat disappeared almost a week ago and I’m assuming, by now, has also formed a chrysalis somewhere inside the cage.

In case you’re wondering why I’ve essentially lost two swallowtails inside the enclosure, they are different compared to monarchs for a couple of reasons:

1. They are obsessed with hiding, and they are the ultimate masters for both location and…

2. Camouflage! The second photo below says it all:

Due to caterpillar-killing weather outdoors, they are currently inside. Over the next few days, I will open the deck door so the chrysalides are exposed to natural heat and humidity that keeps the chrysalides in their winter slumber

Once all 5 are chrysalides, they will be rolled back outside to overwinter in freezing temps ⬅️ until they emerge next spring.

I do love this set up, but there is one change I will make raising forward (with swallowtails)…

Outdoor Raising Setup

Unlike Monarchs, swallowtails are serious about hiding their chrysalides, so I literally have no idea where they are inside this massive enclosure except for the ones that hide in plain sight, like the one pictured above.

My guess is the ‘missing chrysalides’ are under their deck railing container, which easily has enough space for them to eclose and dry their wings next spring.

If butterflies eclose under the container, there will be sticks on the cage floor so they can crawl up to dry their wings in the sun next spring.

However, trying to find 5 chrysalides in here might be quite the adventure…this would be much simpler if I put them in one or two indoor mesh cages and placed those inside the outdoor enclosure like this:

For more info on this evolving outdoor set up, check out:

How to Raise Butterflies Outdoors ⬅️

It might be late to utilize this set up in 2025, but this could make an amazing holiday butterfly gift for 2026! 🎁🎄

Please join 80 other community members and post your Raise the Migration 2025 results and lessons learned raising forward…

Raise The Migration 2025- Share Your Experience! ✍️

This is an opportunity to post what you've learned this season, what raising challenges you faced, and anything new you'll be doing to improve your raising process in 2026.

You can fill out the comment box at the bottom of the linked page below.

Please do not post questions in the comment box as blog comments are not a good platform for ongoing discussions. This is specifically to share your 2025 raising experience including any helpful tips you think will benefit others in the community. Thanks in advance for sharing! 😊

You can share your experience here:

Share YOUR 2025 Raising Results and Experience ⬅️ (scroll down below the last comment to post your experience)

Coming Soon?

After the swallowtails have all formed their chrysalides, see their outdoor resting place for the winter season and learn why we chose this spot for their winter wellbeing. 🌿🐛💡

Blue Skies and Migrating Butterflies,

Tony your Butterfly Guide