Monarch Butterfly Emergence & Release

After a total of eight days in the chrysalis, our Monarch butterfly emerged early Saturday morning. It was a few days earlier than we had expected, so we didn't catch the emergence on video. We did get some video as the butterfly dried her wings in the aquarium. The Fred was intrigued by the whole process and decided to name the butterfly "Lane."

We put some watermelon on a small plate and watched "Lane" eat her first meal as a butterfly. When we woke up this morning, the kids helped me mix a bowl of sugar water to coax "Lane" out of the aquarium. We coated a net with the sugar water, and the butterfly quickly jumped on for the ride. As soon as we exited the front door, "Lane" took off like a pro, flying high above the front yard. Both kids thought that this was the most exciting part.

This will definitely be a tradition for us from now on. I have had just as much fun as the kids, and hopefully, we will be able to raise even more Monarchs next year.

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Monarch Butterfly Waystation

I wanted to find a fun project to do with the kids over the summer, and my interest was peaked by an article from Family Fun magazine on creating a Monarch Butterfly Waystation. Due to the widespread use of herbicides, milkweeds and nectar sources that are necessary for monarchs to reproduce and survive migration are steadily declining. The purpose of the Monarch Butterfly Waystation is to provide an ideal environment for the monarch to develop.

With the help of a few different websites, MonarchWatch and The AltaPass Foundation, we were able to create a small monarch habitat. Finding viable milkweed proved to be the most difficult part of the process. Luckily, we had some family connections in the nursery business that were able to provide us with clippings that had monarch eggs.

One of the eggs developed into a very cute caterpillar that almost ate up all of our milkweed before deciding to form his chrysalis. In 10-14 days, we should have a monarch butterfly that emerges. Within a couple of days, we will help him build some reserve strength with nectar and release him into the wild to continue his energy storage for migration.

The kids have enjoyed watching the process, and we are planning to plant a butterfly garden in our yard to encourage monarchs to lay eggs there for next year. I will keep you posted with pics and hope to catch the emergence on video. Definitely a fun activity to do with your kids!