Monarch butterflies were the topic of a recent column in the Home and Garden section of the StarTribune. I had played babysitter in August for Monarch caterpillars and several of their chrysalises.
There are guidelines to follow if you want to capture caterpillars and watch them become butterflies, as three of my grandchildren did. The guidelines come from the citizen science project known as Journey North. It's a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Monarchs get attention because they migrate from northern summers to Mexican winters. Here is what you should and should not do:
1. Do not purchase monarchs (adults, eggs or larvae) from a mass-breeder for release into the wild.
2. Only raise and release as many monarchs as you need for educational purposes (~ 1 per student).
3. Only rear one generation to prevent disease from building.
4. Follow these rearing guidelines carefully to keep rearing conditions safe and clean.
http://monarchjointventure.org/images/uploads/documents/Monarch_Rearing_Instructions.pdf
5. Educate others by communicating this important conservation message in your community and throughout your networks.
Remember: The only way to accomplish monarch recovery is to protect the habitat they need.
