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- ⏰ Is it Getting TOO LATE to Raise Monarchs❓🌿🐛
⏰ Is it Getting TOO LATE to Raise Monarchs❓🌿🐛
When should you STOP bringing in Monarchs?
Happy September Monarch Raiser,
our stormy, wet August is finally over in Minnesota and we’re entering into a SULTRY September with a long string of 80 degree weather which is perfect for monarchs graduating to butterfly stage and migrating down to Mexico.
There’s a bounty of nutritious nectar plants in the garden from Mexican sunflowers, to giant hyssop, to wild ageratum, to zinnias. But even with these prime conditions, there is reason for concern in 2024. 😕
Roosting reports (groups of migrating monarchs) are SIGNIFICANTLY down from 2023, which suggests the population has plummeted OR the migration generation is behind schedule…
In Minnesota, we’re still in the midst of raising our 7 migration generation butterflies, but we’re coming into the home stretch. (see photo at bottom of your newsletter of one butterfly and two chrysalides)
We’ve already released 3 butterflies and a 4th (pictured below) will be released today. The final 3 butterflies should emerge next week during our stretch of 80 degree weather…we’re about a week way from posting our FULL experience on the results page linked below.
It's now early-September and many of you are still raising your migration generation butterflies, or perhaps, just starting?
At this time of year, I start getting emails from some of you concerned that it’s too late to bring in eggs or caterpillars. I say the monarchs have a better chance to migrate with your help. If oyu leave them outside, they will still serve the ecosystem in other ways (food for other insects/animals).
In our northern region, our final 3 chrysalides indoors by a window that’s open daily to expose them to natural heat and humidity so they know it’s time to migrate when they emerge. (I will move them back outside full-time on Sunday when the temps return to summer.)
If you've gone through the all raise the migration info, and released your final butterflies for 2024, please check out the following info and then share your raising experience with the community...
This is an opportunity to post what you've learned, what raising challenges you faced, and anything new you'll be doing to improve your raising process in 2025.
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 2024 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 2024 Raising Results and Experience ⬅️ (our raising updates + share yours with the community)
Remember, if you've missed any of the posts on raising monarchs through the butterfly life cycle you can catch up here:
Coming Soon?
In the next couple weeks I will be adding my final results to the Share Your Experience post and also getting back to the garden with helpful info on our favorite planting season for perennials...FALL! 🍂
Until then,
Happy Raising 🌿🐛🦋🙌
Tony G
