How to Overwinter a Swallowtail Chrysalis until Spring?
Overwintering Black, Giant, & Tiger Swallowtails Indoors
Some butterflies, like monarchs, migrate to warmer regions for the winter, while others are left behind to brave the winter weather in various stages of the butterfly life cycle.
This includes the woolly bear (Isabella tiger moth) caterpillar, mourning cloak butterfly, and the swallowtail chrysalis…
5 Steps for Overwintering Swallowtail Chrysalides
1. Find a suitable cage for overwintering
I used to believe that swallowtails needed to pupate on sticks. Turns out, they’re just fine forming their chrysalis anywhere: in the pop-up mesh raising cage, on cuttings containers, on their host plants, or even here:
We don’t raise many swallowtails, so our overwintering broods are typically less than 5 total…a small mesh cage is all that is needed. If you overwinter larger broods, you can can still fit them in a small enclosure by removing and relocating them.
If you choose to remove chrysalides consider this technique & set up for your overwinter guests:
a. Allow the chrysalis to dry for 72 hours before relocating to insure its fully hardened.
b. Cut the girdle (two single strands of silk that are holding the chrysalis middle on each side) with a scissors or hand pruner. This will leave the chrysalis attached only from the bottom:
If it’s too difficult to reach the girdle, just skip this part and proceed to part c:
c. Spray the chrysalis with water at the bottom where it’s still attached to the stalk, cage, container, etc. to allow for easier removal
d. Wait for about 30 seconds after spraying before removing.
e. Gently pull on the chrysalis to remove it. If you’re not able to remove without applying pressure, try spraying the attachment point again.
removal tip: if you’re wondering how we removed Eddie from the egg carton hole above, we cut open the carton, for easier access to the chrysalis. Previously, we used egg cartons to hold floral tubes with prickly ash (or other host plant) stem cuttings. Now we use floral tubes with racks for feeding caterpillars.
f. Place paper towels across the cage floor and then set the chrysalides by a mesh wall…the paper towels will collect any meconium (metabolic waste) the swallowtails expel when they emerge in spring.
While monarchs can be a bit lethargic emerging from their chrysalides, swallowtails are more active and typically won’t have any problems crawling up the mesh wall to dry their wings…
8 of 9 giant swallowtail chrysalides pictured above had happy endings with 8 healthy butterflies emerging in Minnesota between May 10-17. All 8 butterflies had no issues crawling up the mesh wall to dry their wings. The 9th died in-chrysalis sometime over winter…
2. Find a suitable spot to keep the cage overwinter
If you keep a swallowtail chrysalis indoors, expect some butterflies before the holidays…and I don’t mean Easter! 🎅
Temperature plays a major role in deciding when your butterflies will emerge. We keep ours in a 3-season porch where temps are only a few degrees warmer than the wintry outdoors.
I keep the cage on the north side of the porch, where it gets less sun. I suspect they could also eclose prematurely if placed on the sun-soaked south side.
Many raisers report success overwinter swallowtails in their garage. Predators like mice/rats 🐭 have been reported to chew their way into cages to devour chrysalides, so make sure they’re in a safe place.
Some choose to keep their overwintering cages outdoors. You can put your mesh cage inside this outdoor raising setup ⬅️ or….
You can let caterpillars feed on a container host plant and pupate directly inside the outdoor cage ⬅️ on sticks, the host plant, container, mesh, etc. :
If you can’t provide a suitable overwintering space, you can also try overwintering swallowtail chrysalides in your refrigerator
For more info/discussions about where to overwinter swallowtail chrysalides try searching facebook.
3. Give each swallowtail chrysalis adequate moisture for the winter
Based on my experience with monarchs, I believe it’s most important to hydrate your caterpillars. However, it can take a swallowtail months to emerge from its chrysalis, so…
Once a month (on days where the temps are above freezing) I mist the chrysalides with water. I have no scientific evidence that shows this helps. However, common sense tells me it’s not good to go for months on end in a dry climate without access to moisture they’d naturally receive outdoors.
4. Be Patient
Swallowtails aren’t on a monarch timetable, though all of our overwintering Minnesota swallowtails have emerged in April & May. An overwintering swallowtail chrysalis can take months to eclose (hatch), and I’ve heard reports of butterflies emerging after more than a year in the pupal stage.
I would give them the entire season before discarding, but I would not overwinter them twice.
I have heard that spraying weekly (or even daily) in the summer coaxes the butterfly to eclose, but this info is only based on a few first-hand reports. Regardless, a little extra water isn’t going to hurt them (with good air circulation) and will keep them from drying out.
8 of 9 giant swallowtail chrysalides pictured above had happy endings with 8 healthy butterflies emerging between May 10-17. All 8 butterflies had no issues crawling up the mesh wall to dry their wings. The 9th died sometime over winter…
5. Let butterflies dry thoroughly before releasing
You can place them outside to safely 🌞 dry in a mesh cage for an hour or so. This way, no predators can attack while they are flightless and defenseless. Then open the cage door, and let them fly free to start a new season of swallowtails.
We have raised black swallowtails, tiger swallowtails, and giant swallowtails, but this overwintering technique should work for other species including zebra and pivevine swallowtails.
Please Read the Comments Section below for more info about Overwintering a Swallowtail Chrysalis.
very helpful. will follow instructions and post outcome.
I have 4 Swallowtail chrysalis that will over winter. I’m in illinois but will be going to Florida after Christmas. Can I take them with me to enclose there?
Hi Laurel, if you’re just going on a vacation, I would leave them at home to continue their winter metamorphosis. All we do to care for chrysalides in winter, is spray them with water once a month so they’re fine by themselves for long periods.
thanks so much for this information!!!
We’re the windows open in your porch with wind blowing through screens?
Hi Stacey, no open windows in the winter…it’s already cold enough in the 3-season porch. We will reopen windows in spring
Hi Nancy, this morning we spritzed the chrysalides with water and moved them to a sunnier spot in the porch and 3 more eclosed today. Spritzing with water weekly might make a difference for you too…good luck!
Hello,
I’m so glad to see this report that swallowtails take a long time to eclose because my swallowtail has not yet done so & we’re in STL. I was just ready to throw him in the trash but he looks just like your picture all dry so I will wait for a while longer. I’ve seen a couple of swallowtail in the yard & a monarch came to visit me in the flower bed the other day while I was planting more milkweed. My common milkweed looks fantastic & the Joes Pie Weed looks tremendous. Thank you so much Tony for all your suggestions. sunsetwatcher
Thank you Tony for posting this as I’ve kept my sleeping giant in a pet keeper over winter & we live in STL so I need to get moving him to another cage this week. Granted he hasn’t begun to change colors but I’m excited to see him emerge.
The Swallowtail we’ve had since the fall came out of its chrysalis last week — a bit early. As we live in Michigan, it’s an little early to release it outside. We’ve purchased a larger enclosure and are giving it fruit and juice, which it appears to be enjoying.
Do you have any other ideas on what we can do? It’s going to be a few weeks before the weather is warm enough.
Hi Windy, all you can do is continue to feed it, and hope it thrives/survives so it can be released when the temperatures warm up…good luck!
I am in Charleston, SC, we bought a real Christmas tree and yesterday morning we found a giant swallow tail under the tree. We THINK it emerged from the tree. It’s been unusually cold here, highs in the 30s and 40s this week. If we release it (it’s in my kids collapsible butterfly cage right now) will it die?? I feel terrible because I think unknowingly brining it inside confused it and made it emerge too early.
Hi Laura, I’ve heard of this happening before…
Unfortunately, it’s too cold to release butterflies in South Carolina this time of year. You could always keep it and attempt to feed it until temps are warm enough for release…since you are in a region with a shorter winter, it’s possible the butterfly might survive. More info here:
Feeding Adult Butterflies
I have 8 chrysalides hanging and 1 giant swallowtail butterfly flying around in the cage…now that I know it’s too cold to release this butterfly, what can I feed it???
Sugar water? Gatorade? Thanks!
Hi Jessica, there’s info about feeding adult butterflies here
Hello, we are in San Diego area of SoCal. I have a Giant Swallowtail Chrysalis on my dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree. We’ve watched it from a caterpillar into a chrysalis. Can we allow her to overwinter on our tree (it’s on a terrace that receives morning sunshine). Will she be okay in the rain?
Hi Stacie, they usually choose to pupate in a spot that is safe enough for them to survive the chrysalis stage. That’s fantastic you were able to locate the chrysalis as they are designed to blend in with nature. I’m not sure it will ‘overwinter’ in your region…the butterfly could emerge in the next couple weeks.
Hi – I could use some advice about my swallowtail – I think it’s eastern swallowtail. I found it about a week ago outside. It was supposed to go down below freezing and I thought a bird or other animal would eat it so I brought it in and put it in a box with twigs and parsley. Now, a week later, it has formed a chrysalis, hanging from one of the twigs. I was hoping to put it back outside so I didn’t have to interfere with nature but I’m not sure what to do. I have an unheated porch but it gets pretty warm on sunny days so I think it will have to go on the deck in some kind of enclosure or in the shed – although there are mice in there. We don’t have anything in bloom here (New York) until mid- to -late May. Frost possible until Mother’s Day. I definitely don’t want it to eclose before there’s food for it. Would the fridge be the best option for overwintering? If I put it outside, how long to wait after the chrysalis formed? Can I just put it out on the twig, just as it is in the box it’s in? Thanks.
Hi Lynne, the option I know of are listed in the post…you could try putting it outside, but I would put in a place predators are not likely to find it. You could also try your porch if you keep it out of direct sun. In warmer regions, I know many try storing them in the refrigerator, but I have not tried this personally…our porch has worked well. PS…mice will eat chrysalides
I have 4 Swallowtail chyrsalis that have been in that stage for a week. I live in Missouri and the weather has been warm. It cooled off today. These chrysalis are in the house. I am leaving Tuesday for a week and I have someone who will look after them at her home. I do have a protected place to put them outside and that’s what I’d like to do, but how do I know if they will emerge as butterlies before I get back and need to be released or if they will be ones that will overwinter. Today is 10/8/17, Can anyone help me? I just need to decide if I am safe thinking they will not emerge and I can overwinter them.
Hi Elaine, I would put them outside in the protected place…if they are kept inside, it’s very possible they could emerge. If any emerge (outside) while you are gone, set them free when you get back…
Thanks Tony. Can they survive without food while I am gone? How long can they be without food?
Hi Elaine, my guess is they won’t emerge, but you could always put in a vase with nectar flower cuttings (in water) just in case….
Thanks again, Tony. I hope they don’t emrge this late in the season, but we have such crazy weather.
I have a lot to learn.
Elaine
I am in Fayetteville, AR. Last year I had 8 black swallowtails overwinter and had the opposite issue: it warmed up sooner than nectar plants were available. I moved them to the colder dark garage for 3 weeks and then brought them out on the porch where they emerged a week later after nectar plants were more available. Unscientific, but my experience. When they did, they all emerged within 3 days. I have 6 this year and worried like you about them emerging these last warm weeks while gone. I instructed the house sitter that if one did emerge, to set the cage outside and open the lid. They did not. I think they have a better sense of the end of season than we give them credit for—as long as they are not confused by indoor temps. I also did not get a late batch even after releasing 3 dozen. Just a few stragglers.
Can I follow your tips for overwintering (giant or black) swallowtails with Spicebush Swallowtails? I have been watching several caterpillars on a small sassafrass tree and all are now in chrysalis form. I would like to bring them in an unheated shed to protect them from predation, and, hopefully, to see them emerge as butterflies in the spring. I would need to protect them from mice/chipmunks, etc…, who unfortunately do come and go from the shed. Do the chrysalids need to be able to breathe or could I place their enclosure inside a plastic storage bin? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, what’s most important is providing the swallowtail chrysalis an atmosphere similar to what they would be experiencing outdoors. Re raise ours in mesh cages, but it sounds like you need a different option for your situation. Check out alternative overwintering ideas here:
Simply Swallowtails
Thanx Tony for this timely article. I recently released an Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) that eclosed 9-28. As with your own observations, it didn’t hesitate long to sprint from its mesh cage the minute I opened it, as compared to the slow, almost methodical exit of monarchs.
I now have five that old world swallowtails that have pupated. Knowing about diapause, I wasn’t sure on how I would take care of my charges if they went that route. I have them snug away in the house, but upon reading your article, sounds like I should put them someplace cooler, as in the garage. I would hate to leave them inside a warmer environment, have them eclose prematurely, and then be forced to release them outside in the cold, approaching winter temps.
Great tips, and thanx once again!
Each winter, I get a few emails from people who overwintered indoors and are upset that their butterflies eclosed in the middle of January. I would definitely talk to someone who has experience with ‘old world’ swallowtail species to see what conditions work best for overwintering them…congrats and good luck!
After reading the amount of releases each one of the entries reported I dont feel very successful. I only had five releases here in Lamar, Missouri.We didnt see many monarchs at all this year in my area. Last year I didnt see one.I am very impressed with those who have so many releases and hope I can increase my numbers next year.
Thank you for your website I have learned so much from it.
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla, some seasons are more about ‘learning lessons’ than having a lot of healthy releases. Those lessons will help you achieve more success next season. Don’t compare your efforts to others who have done this longer…the only thing that matters is that you’re improving.
My first year I only released 9. Each one counts.
I have only found one Polydamas chrysalis and have never been able to find any more even though I had tons of cats and certainly many that looked ready to form a chrysalis. These are all outside on my pipe vine as I raise Monarchs inside. Where should I look for their chrysalis or have they probably been eaten by something.
Hi Priscilla, this post should give you some ideas:
Where to look for a chrysalis
Tony. I released my last Monarch this week and it was a male! I was so excited because all 38 have been females. He was so beautiful and anxious to fly high. I started raising Monarchs in July after I lost my sweet Sister and this has been a great solace for me. I have been looking for eggs but none to be found. I live in Southern California. What are the chances of me getting different types of butterfly’s like swallowtails and the like. My babies have all left me and I’m having empty nest syndrome. Sounds silly I know but what pleasure this has brought me? I love your newsletter and have made so many friends. Thank you for your valuable time to this novice❤️
Hi Linda, 38 females to 1 male?! that is amazing! There are other butterfly types in southern California you could raise, and you probably still have a chance for more monarch activity…try this facebook page to see what butterflies species Monika suggests you plant for:
California Butterfly Lady
What a timely wonderful article! I have 28 black swallowtail butterflies that have just finished going into Chrysalis in a pop-up butterfly bag. I found all of these caterpillars in a very large patch of parsley! I made cuttings of the parsley and watched them go through all of the different instars very similar to the way the monarchs do. This was such a cool process to watch from a different butterfly!! I live in Tennessee so I was thinking about leaving them outside on the porch in a protected area. Thank you for this information Tony.
Hello! Our Girl Scout troop was given a swallowtail to raise and release, however she stopped eating and now is just laying at the bottom of her glass bowl. We were sure that she was dead but she is still alive! She doesn’t crawl around though and is not interested in the stick or the food we put in there for her. We so want her to make it and someone said that it sounds like she is overwintering. She has not formed a chrysilas yet though. Is this something you have heard of happening? If so, how can we take good care of her and when can we expect her to make her chrysalys?
Hi Amber, it sounds like the caterpillar is sick if it’s just laying in the bottom of the jar. I would continue to monitor and see if it makes the chrysalis lying down, thought I’m not sure if this is possible for swallowtails (it is for monarchs) good luck!
How cold is too cold to overwinter on an outdoor screened porch? This is my first experience raising wild cats that were on my late season parsley. I brought six in and they all seemed to thrive in my makeshift airy habitat. My cats have all gone chrysalis and are just hanging out. I have two cats that died while making the transformation to chrysalis, 2 that seem to be ok but have come partially detached and two that seem “perfect”. It has become pretty chilly here in Virginia. It went into the 40’s for the first time last night. Any overwintering tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Denise, keep in mind they survive outdoors all winter, so you screened porch should be a great option for overwintering. good luck!
Thanks Tony! I figured that, but 40’s seems so cold since it was in the 90’s just a few short weeks ago! Ok, I’ll leave them in the habitat on the porch and keep an eye on them. Should I mist them? If so, how often. This website and forum has been so helpful for a novice like me. If I have late season caterpillars next year I will be a season pro!
Thanks again! Denise
Hi Denise, I mist mine with water about once a month on days it’s above freezing. Good luck!
Hi Tony,
Please keep in mind that swallowtails have different requirements based on the species. Denise just refers to them as cats. Are we talking tropical swallowtails like the giant swallowtail or tiger swallowtails which are native? The overwintering requirements in temperate zones could be quite different depending on what species of swallowtail you are referring to.
Steve
Hi Steve, we’re raising ‘tropical’ giant swallowtails in Minnesota this fall. Their range extends north and into eastern Canada where they will overwinter outdoors in frigid temperatures. Their overwintering requirements aren’t any different…
I live in Québec. I found a Giant Swallowtail carterpillar. During winter, temp will go down to minus -20 or -25 celcius. If it forms a chrysalid, would it survive at these températures?
Hi Jacinthe, I’m not sure if there’s a ‘killing’ temp for the typically more ‘warm weather’ giants, but I don’t know why they’d lay eggs in our region (or come this far north) if they could not survive. I’ll be sure to report the survival rate of ours in Minnesota next spring.
Whatever you do, I would not bring it indoors, or it will emerge this winter. good luck!
Hello and thank you for your site! I am so excited to have found 13 Swallowtail’s feeding on my large dill plant. I live in Tennessee, zone 6, and was thinking of trying to overwinter them in my small greenhouse. It is not heated and does not have a door. I do have a glass cube with a wire mesh top that was used for reptiles that I think might be suitable. The question here is, as they are still feeding quite voraciously, at what point do I remove them or should I do this now before they wonder off? I always hesitate to fool with Mother Nature.. should I leave them be?
Thank you!
Kindest regards,
Susan
Hi Susan, congrats on finding swallowtails. I would bring them in now if you want to overwinter them becuase they have a lot of predators that will probably find them before you decide to bring them in…this has happened to many before you.
You can feed them with stem cuttings like we do with milkweed for monarchs:
Feeding caterpillars with Stem Cuttings good luck!
I have a few swallowtail crysalis in my garage where catepillars got outside the mesh cage. The 3 crysalis are attached to objects: a bucket, a box and the 3rd on a wood beam. How I safely move them into a netted cage without harming the crysalis?
Hi Kendra, thanks for the question. I added a video to the page that should answer your question…good luck!
Could you tell me if I’m crazy for expecting my swallowtails to overwinter given that I’m in North Texas? We just last week dropped into the 80°s from our usual hot and humid 90°s, and I didn’t know if given our late autumn, they were more likely to still try and emerge now or not. We have 12 (5 giant, 7 black) that formed a chrysalis between 5-7 days ago. Thank you!
Hi Jeannie, they will overwinter in your region at some point, but maybe not yet…
If you are on facebook ask your question here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/swallowtailbutterflies/
Funny, I’m in N Texas (Dallas area) too. I just found one Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar last night, it was on same Penta plant this morning, and I’ve discovered three more tonight; one of which is already brown.
I’m considering trying to keep the plants where they are until they (hopefully) all transform, and then perhaps keep them safe on the north side of my home to keep them cool over winter.
Is it better to take them now while they’re feeding to protect them from predators? Three are on one small (but healthy) Penta, the other is on its own plant. I don’t feel like I have an appropriate container, but could get creative I think with a small glass jar or two and figure out how to cover them safely.
Thanks!
Hi Sue, you could wait, but there are always predators to consider. I would bring them in, if possible.
We found a beautiful tiger swallowtail on Monday. It finally purged and started partially hanging in the past 2 days. Today it cut its middle tie and quickly formed it’s chrysalis. I would like to overwinter it as its almost October 1st in NW Iowa and am afraid it won’t have much of a shot when it does come out. Problem is, I don’t really have any place to put it that it’looks stay a few degrees warmer then the outside temp. Should we just let it continue and hope it makes it for the short time, or really try and overwinter it?
Hi Alison, it’s not going to emerge this fall…I would try to overwinter. You could try keeping it in a garage or even outside, as long as no predators (like mice) could get to it.
I successfully raised almost 2 dozen monarchs this summer and hope to do more next year. A few days ago I found a swallowtail caterpillar on the driveway, so I added it to the monarch house, which still has one chrysalis inside. The swallowtail has already formed his chrysalis, and after reading the comments I’m a little concerned about overwintering it. I’m in Minnesota and it can get pretty cold here in the winter, so I don’t think I should put the cage in the garage or shed. Would the refrigerator be a good option for the swallowtail? Our winters can be well below zero here; at least the fridge would be constant. Thanks for the advice!
Hi Lori, i’m in Minnesota too and keep ours in a 3-season porch. They can survive out climate outdoors so I wouldn’t worry they are too cold. I’ve never tried the refrigerator, but it you have good instructions you can always try…good luck!
Tony,
I live in southern CA. I had 12 anise swallowtail chrysalises from last fall and by May they had not hatched. I wrote you, and you recommend contacting the California’s butterfly lady. She recommended putting them in the refrigerator for 3 months and spraying them periodically. I put nine in the fridge on June 3rd, and left 3 out for a test and sprayed all of them about once a month.. One non-fridge one emerged in June. After one month, July 3rd, I took 3 out of the fridge. After 2 months,Aug 3rd, I took 3 more out, after 3 months, Sept 3rd, I took the last 3 out. Of these nine only one of the Aug 3rd onesI took out emerged in mid Aug.. The rest are still hanging and look healthy. The CA butterfly lady said they can take up to 3 years to hatch. I have had several hatch that formed chrysalises thes year. I now have 5 that have or are about to form or have formed chrysalises. So far I have no conclusive results to recommend.
I am having some success with my monarchs, but am losing a lot caterpillars to the tachinid flies. Also a lot of my monarch eggs just seem to disappear. I have eggs one day the the next day there is nothing, maybe a hole where the egg was. I check my plant usually at least once or twice a day. I know the cats move around a lot, but they never show up on any of the other plants. Could the flies be eating the eggs or the young cats.
Bill
Hi Bill, that’s crazy they can take so long…you would think there would be a way to speed up the process.
As for your monarchs, eggs and small caterpillars have many predators:
13 Monarch Predators
I just had one more of the chrysalidis enclose from last year that I had left in the fridge one month (July 3)., so still no conclusion if the fridge helps.
Hi Bill,
I live in San Diego. I collect the Monarch eggs every day, otherwise
they are eaten by ants, spiders,
Ladybugs – you name it. If you leave them outside, 90% will disappear.
Start raising the eggs, and you will hatch lots of lovely healthy butterflies!
THANK YOU for this valuable information! This will be my first time overwintering Swallowtail chrysalises (9 Eastern Black and 3 Giant). I have a3-season porch in Missouri, and will follow your tips!
Perfect timing as I have 12 caterpillars in various instars. This is my first year raising so I have lots of questions. Will they be OK over winter in a laundry room that is not real warm or should I put them in my shed? I’m hoping to have a good outcome!
Hi Pat, I would put them in the shed if it’s colder….whatever is closest to the natural outdoor temp. good luck!
Thanks Tony , that’s what I thought too. Trying to think how to protect them from mice.
Hi Pat, I’m not sure what you’re overwintering them in but you could try the same set up with the mesh cage and shepherd hook outdoors to keep mice away. Good luck!
Thanks Tony, they are in a large mesh cage so I will hang them from a hook.
We found a Tiger Swallow tail in the dark brown color. We put it in a glass jar with air holes, just grass, a couple leaves and a stick. Just until we could research and find out what he needed. I took it to the Science class in the Middle School where I work, and over the weekend he attached himself to the stick and began his chrysalis journey! It’s amazing, he looks just like the pictures. The kids are very excited to see this. So now how do we keep him alive. It is so late (Sept.). Will we just overwinter him? Should we move him to a different cage? Water?
I’d appreciate any advise. He’s gotten this far.
thanks
Hi Mickey, the chrysalis should be fine in the jar. I would probably use tulle fabric as the lid and secure with a rubber band for better ventilation. You could also put the stick in a shorter glass/jar so it’s outside the container…and then stick the jar inside a mesh cage if you have one. I would lightly spray the chrysalis with water one a month…good luck!
Thanks.
We did take the lid off the jar and put the whole jar into a mesh container.
We will continue to mist it.
So do you think it will take all winter now before he emerges?
Mickey
Hi Mickey, the chrysalis needs to be kept in a cool environment (ours stay in a 3-season porch) or it will hatch during the winter. If you’re in a continuous growing region this doesn’t matter, but if you’re in a region with true winter it will.
Hi again,
I am in Wisconsin with true winters. My chrysalis is in a classroom, so this is too warm for him? What will happen if he hatches during the winter….will he be able to survive? Can we keep him in the butterfly net/cage and what would he eat?
This not sounding good, sorry.
Hi Mickey, a classroom is too warm to overwinter a chrysalis. I would not encourage it to hatch over winter.
Thanks for this helpful article; I’ve never read about light’s and humidity’s role in chrysalis development. Right now, I have an Eastern Black Swallowtail chrysalis that’s 5 weeks old. When I gently attempt to move its abdomen, it is stiff, hard, and won’t easily budge. Color is normal, no black spots. When I shine a flashlight through, the shell is opaque and I cannot see anything new except a bit of green in the bottom. The shell seems like it may be slightly cracked. Should I add moisture and let it do it’s thing? It’s been warm here so I don’t know why it would be cued to overwinter, but I am new to this. At what point do I give up and put it outside in case it’s dead/wasped?
Hi Renee, you can try spraying it with water. If it doesn’t hatch I would let it overwinter unless you are sure it didn’t make it. good luck!
It is looking like I might have quite a few Black Swallowtail chrysalis that will overwinter this year. I am wondering if keeping them in our unheated machine shed would work? I would need to store them so the mice would not get them also, thinking about a plastic tub with a cover. Do the chrysalis need air? I could have some tiny holes drilled in the cover, small enough so a mouse could not get in. I had a chrysalis overwinter once before, the Black Swallowtail enclosed in February, I don’t want that to happen again. Thanks!
Hi MaryAnn, I would make sure they are getting some air…I spray mine once a month too with water, but they might get moldy if there isn’t good air circulation. good luck!
My children and I have raised many butterflies over the last few years. This is the first year that we have swallowtail chrysalids obviously in diapause. One butterfly emerged on August 26th and the remaining chrysalids remain healthy and closed. Today, we moved them (6, attached to their sticks) into a large, spacious jar with an air-flow lid, placed the jar on several old shirts in a rubbermaid, surrounded the jar with loosely-packed clean rags, shirts, and old socks, and closed the rubbermaid lid. My son and the neighbours moved the bin under our deck, next to the house, on the north-east side of our house in inner-city Winnipeg.
Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve the chances of overwintering the insects?
We hope that they will be safe from predators, not too warm or cold, and otherwise ready to last our coming hard Manitoba winter. Any comments you have are welcome. Our garage is completely unheated in winter and gets warm quickly in spring, and the same goes for our porch.
Hi Beth, congrats on your overwintering swallowtails! Our 3-season porch has been a great overwintering spot for black and tiger swallowtails. I know some people overwinter successfully in their garages. Your system sounds like it could work. I spray our chrysalides with water once a month when it’s not too cold. I’m not sure it’s necessary, but all our have emerged each spring. Good luck!
We overwintered 1 tiger swallowtail this winter, and I just checked it today and the chrysalis has a small hole in it and the butterfly is nowhere to be found. We just had it in a jar in our garage with plastic wrap (punched with holes) over the top. The plastic wrap was pulled back. I’m hoping the butterfly just escaped, but I was wondering is that usually what is left of the chrysalis? Thanks!
Hi Karen, after the butterfly emerges the entire chrysalis should still be there. If it’s not, a mouse may have gotten into the container. Sorry about that, but hope you have an amazing butterfly season…
Hi Tony,
We usually overwinter our black swallowtails in the garage. Once it starts getting to warm outside, we bring the pop up enclosures into the house and store them in a dark closet in the basement. They typically come out mid to late May here in Michigan, but it has been quite a bit warmer this year, so who knows what’s going to happen.
It makes sense to spray the chrysalis, but we have never done it. Last year we overwintered ten black swallowtail chrysalis. Eight black swallowtails emerged, and two stinking parasitic wasps. Hopefully we get the same results this year (minus the wasps) because we didn’t spray them this winter.
One thing we have learned with black swallowtails is that from time to time, the caterpillars like to use an existing chrysalis to form their chrysalis on. Although having two chrysalis right on top of each other is cute, the second caterpillar can sometimes prevent the first one from coming out depending on how it attaches itself to the first chrysalis.
If this happens to anyone, I would wait until the second chrysalis is dry, and then carefully separate the two so that the first caterpillar won’t have any problems emerging from it’s chrysalis.
Brian
i wintered three black swallowtails in my tool shed, didn’t read about keeping them moisturized so hope all will be well. Question is – They are on sticks and had them in a large jar. It’s not big enough to keep them in that to hatch, i don’t have a net house, should they be left outside with stick poked into dirt pot to hatch or in house?
Hi Jennifer, you could always stick them in a potted plant outdoors. I’m not sure how often chrysalides are found by predators, but that’s a possibility. You could also stick them in an indoor plant. Impossible to say when they will emerge…they are very unpredictable. good luck!
In So FL I’ve only seen a few monarchs; but I have 18 crystalides in the mesh cage. Out front on one plant I counted 11 cats. Is there some way I can post a picture?
The Monarchs I have seen ARE PROLIFICALLY!?
Hi Sheila, if you want to post pictures, please post on the MBG facebook page…thanks!
Monarch Butterfly Garden Facebook Page
This is the first time I’ve attempted to over winter swallowtail butterflies. I have 1 tiger, 9 black swallowtails & 1 cabbage white. The small white butterflies always seem so cheerful.
I just hope that they emerge & that they survived the winter. I’ve not misted them but they have gotten wet occasionally after rains & snow.
Hi Roy, I think as long as they receive a little moisture, they’ve got a good chance. I look forward to hearing your spring updates!
Good morning Tony,
I am a “New” Monarch Butterfly supporter as a few months ago while at our local Home Depot store, I noticed a Butterfly Weed, Silky Deep Red plant display outside the garden area which had these plants and a sign that said, “Save the Monarchs.” I asked a salesperson what it all about and she said the Monarchs have experienced a great loss of their numbers due to a variety of reasons. So I purchased four of the plants and planted them outside my fence in an area which faces NW, which means it get sunshine all day.
I put three metal trellises to support the plants as the wind from the ocean a mile away, usually comes up in the afternoons and I noticed the plants leaning with the direction of the wind. I did notice a lone Monarch one day flying around the plants and landing. I had no idea it was laying eggs as I was unaware of their cycle at the time.
Not keeping the time that elapsed between the initial lone sighting and the appearance of the first caterpillars but it wasn’t too long before I noticed small caterpillars eating the leaves and getting larger over the ensuing days. There must have been over a dozen or more of that group only three made it thought the cycle to emerge as butterflies. One crawled over forty-five to my garage and then up the wall until it made it under the eve and attached itself. The second one went in the opposite direction about twenty feet and attached itself to an Iris plant leaf and the third attached itself under a light fixture about five feet away.
There were a few neighbors who came by my garden and I explained what was happening and they became very interested as well and checked every day on the progress.
So I have set aside a portion of my garden for the Monarchs and purchased a couple of quart-sized Salvia ‘May Night’ Nemorosa’s from Ohio and planted them close to the Butterfly Milk-Weed so there was actually a plant that produced nectar for the Butterflies to eat as well.
There was a fourth full-grown caterpillar that made it to the base of the garage wall and it stayed there about two feet up the wall all day; I thought he would join the other one under the roof eve but later in the afternoon it was gone and I have no idea what happened to it.
I have a few hobbies that I spend a lot of time pursuing; golf, gardening, photography, painting & drawing, riding my bicycle to & from the beach, grand children, Association Treasurer, more golf, and when I am not playing, I will find time to practice.
I do have a new project that is butterfly related; since they seem to travel a distance before attaching themselves and becoming a chrysalis, I have no idea as to the fate of the many other caterpillars’ that didn’t make it, I purchased a sheet of 24” square ¾ inch plywood and a piece of 2”x 72” x ½ “ pine to build a caterpillar wall and an attachment under hang to hold their chrysalis. I also purchased a quart of flat dark green paint and a bag of washed sand; the paint for the wood and the sand to sprinkle on top of the wet paint to give the caterpillar’s a traction-based surface to crawl up, in the event the painted wood is to slick.
After the first coat of paint dries, I will apply a second coat to make sure the sand holds firm; of course perhaps the caterpillars don’t need help and can crawl up the wood with no problem, I have no idea but was thinking ahead in the event they could not make it up.
I will email a photograph of the completed wall board once it is completed and in place between the milk weed plants. The attached photographs show the successful Butterflies and their chrysalis before and after they emerged and the milk weed and Salvia ‘May night’ Nemorosa plants.
I cannot add photographs to my comment here as your web site does not have that option although I did send them in a reply to your welcome email to me for signing up for your newsletter invite.
Respectfully,
Daniel C. Garcia, BFA, CMI, MAM
Hi Daniel, and welcome to this exciting new hobby. It’s good that you are giving the caterpillars more options to form a chrysalis, but keep in mind only a small% of monarchs survive predation/disease outdoors. Typically between 1-5%. So, after you finish your caterpillar wall, think about learning to raise a few indoors to boost their survival rate. Good luck with your project and I look forward to seeing your photos…also, if you’re interested in learning about some of the potential problems monarchs have in the garden:
7 Common Monarch Diseases and Caterpillar Killers