How To Raise Monarch Butterflies Outdoors: 7 Survival Tips

Raising Healthy Monarch Butterflies Outside

Raising monarch butterflies from eggs isn’t rocket science, but a bad raising process can end up making you look like a high school dropout, hurting the monarchs you were only trying to help. The tips below will help bring you more raising success, while also helping the struggling monarch population recover from an alarming decline over the past few decades..

If you’ve followed my raising journey on this blog, you’ll know I’m a big proponent of raising healthy monarchs indoors, but I know indoor raising isn’t a viable option for those that have limited space, curious pets, or can’t keep them by an open window. So, if you want to learn how to raise monarch butterflies outdoors with the same 95% survival rate we’ve achieved with our indoor process, here are seven tips to help you reach your outdoor raising goals:

Avoid Areas exposed to High Winds

High winds can spell disaster for your outdoor raising set up:

• Cages can blow over or even blow away if not properly secured.
• Cutting containers or pots can get knocked over, crushing your defenseless caterpillars.
• Wind can also knock down chrysalides from mesh cage ceilings, especially when #2 is a co-factor…

Avoid Areas exposed to Heavy Rain

• Heavy rains can pool in your cage/liner and prevent a drowning hazard for monarchs at floor level.
• Excess water can also loosen the silk that keeps chrysalises securely attached to the cage roof

Use an Extra Layer of Mesh Protection

• Use an indoor cage (we use 15″ x 15″ x 24″h) to place your monarchs and raising accessories inside
• Place that entire inside cage inside a raised bed cart with wheels ⬅️ that has a second layer of protective netting ⬅️ to keep your growing monarchs safe from the elements and potential predators.
• Place a 4′ x 6′ heavy duty tarp over the top of cage to keep chrysalises dry from overhead precipitation that could loosen silk and make them fall…if cage location protects them from rain, you don’t need this)
• Secure the tarp eith Four 36″ bungee cords (2 linked together on each side)

Keep Cage in Partial Sun for Optimal Milkweed Health

When milkweed cuttings/plants don’t receive (at least some) indirect sunlight for photosynthesis, the plants can start to fade before the caterpillars have devoured them.

In the absence of extreme weather, our raised bed cart is wheeled out to a sun-drenched area of the deck for monarchs and milkweed.

Keep Cage in Partial Shade to Prevent Floral Tube Evaporation

In the sultry summer sun, water from floral tubes can evaporate quickly so be sure your outdoor setup gets plenty of afternoon shade so you won’t need to fill floral tubes on a daily basis

Avoid Areas where there is Pesticide Use or Potential Pesticide Drift

• Don’t use pesticides anywhere near your outdoor raising set up
• Avoid keeping cage in any area where monarchs could be exposed to pesticide drift from neighbors, or from city mosquito spraying

Clean Cage and/or Switch Out Milkweed Indoors to Keep Potential Predators Out

Some predators like spiders and parasitic wasps are so small and/or camouflaged, you probably won’t see them if they enter the cage while the door is open for cleaning. Clean the small mesh cage INSIDE, and then place it back inside the portable raising bed to prevent uninvited pests from cutting your raising adventure short:

For more info on how to raise monarch butterflies outdoors (and in!) check out our annual raising event that will show you how to raise healthy monarchs to release for the annual monarch migration: Raise The Migration 2025 ⬅️