Kari Ford has been raising Monarch caterpillars and butterflies from eggs for over four years.

When asked how she became interested in this unusual hobby, she said a friend of the family moved to Texas, leaving behind the supplies and a book describing how to go about doing this,  “How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids” by Carol Pasternak.

At first, she said, she didn’t even know what milkweed was but became intrigued by the project.  

Ford works at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, and an old golf course area not being sprayed or treated is her ‘collection’ resource, as is an area her parents own south of town next to the English River.  

She has raised an increasing number over the years, tagging each one with a unique identifier, and is on schedule to release about 250 butterflies in 2022.  Those released in late August and September are the generation that will make the trip back to Mexico to overwinter.  In the spring, they will begin migrating back to Iowa to repeat the cycle.

For the first time, she has been releasing the tagged butterflies in memory of or in honor of friends and family.  Her daily postings on Facebook to announce the latest releases and who they honor has been eagerly followed by many in and outside of the Riverside community.  

A recent release took place in the newly remodeled Railroad Park with her nieces, not far from where the city plans to finish a Rain Garden where insect-friendly blooms and trees will be planted this fall.  

She has also taken her butterflies to funerals for release or put them in containers for the honorees to take home and release.  

Her dedication to an ‘adopted’ hobby is helping the Monarchs to make a comeback.

The life cycle of the Monarch butterfly has four stages:  egg, larvae, pupa and adult butterfly. 

The first-generation adult butterfly migrates north from Mexico, lays eggs on the milkweed, and stage one of the first generation starts.

Within 4 days, the eggs hatch to form a caterpillar or larva, the second stage. At this stage, the larvae eat the milkweed on which it lives. 

Within two weeks, it attains full growth and attaches to some place like a leaf or stem and undergoes the process of metamorphosis to transform into a pupa or chrysalis. 

In the next 10 days, the continuous process of metamorphosis transforms the old body parts of the pupa into the beautiful parts of an adult butterfly. The adult butterfly will emerge in mid-morning and fly away in search of food and a mate. 

They live a short life that ranges from two to six weeks. Within this period, it will lay eggs for the second generation. 

The second generation flies for roughly one month after the migrating monarchs arrive and reproduce from May through July.  It lays eggs for the third generation in July or August.  The fourth-generation eggs are laid in the months of September or October, but they live eight to nine months. This fourth-generation butterfly is the one that migrates to the warmer regions of California or Mexico.  

If you are interested in raising Monarch butterflies, here are some tips:

The best place to get eggs and caterpillars is from the milkweed you grow, or in the wild.  The hunt is exciting, and you will discover a whole community of insects living on the milkweed.  

Keep the eggs in an enclosure.  They will normally hatch into caterpillars in 3-4 days.

The caterpillars will immediately begin to feed on the milkweed leaves, so provide fresh leaves daily.  You should also place a wet paper towel below the leaves to prevent them from drying out.  As the size of the caterpillar increases, their food requirement also increases, so make sure they get a constant supply of fresh milkweed leaves. 

The caterpillars are eating non-stop, so they generate quite a lot of droppings (frass).  The paper towels in the bottom of the enclosure will help in collecting the frass, which should be cleaned out daily.

In the larvae stage, they undergo five instars, which means they shed their skin around 5 times.  At this stage, there is a chance of getting a bacterial or viral infection.  If any of the caterpillars is affected, remove it from the chamber before it spreads to others.

The caterpillar moves to the top of the container to enter the pupa stage by hanging upside down attached to a silken thread.  In this stage, the pupa will not consume food but hangs for around 10 to 15 days, after which the butterfly emerges.

The adult butterflies should be given time to open their wings for flight.  Do not touch them for 3 to 4 hours, until their wings dry.  If there is stormy weather, you can keep the adults in a mesh laundry basket or mesh cage until you can release them.

Not all of your caterpillars will live to be adults.  If you need immediate answers to your monarch rearing concerns, you can get them from the Facebook group, “The Beautiful Monarch,” which you can join before you start to raise your monarchs.

For more information about raising monarchs and what to expect, plus details on their migration and predators, how to attract butterflies your garden, what you can do to help, and a list of useful resources, read “How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids” by Carol Pasternak.

Other helpful sources of information:  saveourmonarchs.org; monarchbutterflylifecycle.com; and books and guides available online.  Closer to home, visit The Monarch Research Station, 4970 Lakeside Road, Marion, Iowa 52302.   To make an appointment to visit or if you have questions/inquiries, please contact staff via email at info@monarchresearch.org.