5 Ways to Serve Monarch Caterpillar Food with Milkweed Cuttings
How to Feed those Very Hungry Caterpillars with Less Milkweed
Since monarchs only dine on milkweed, you’d think presenting them with monarch caterpillar food would be simple, but…
Discover the simple solution we use for keeping milkweed fresh for days, while keeping caterpillars from crawling around in potentially disease-causing frass. (poop)
Milkweed stem cuttings can be taken in a variety of sizes, and placed in a variety of containers filled with water. Here are 5 options we use to help raise our monarchs with a consistent 95% survival rate.
Find the proceeding tools for serving monarch caterpillar food and other suggested raising supplies on our Top Raising Tools & Resources Page
1. Floral Tubes w/ Milkweed Stem Cuttings + Rack Holder (our preferred way of feeding caterpillars)
- Use a boot tray to carry the cuttings containers/caterpillars to a sink (make sure the boot tray dimensions are large enough to easily hold your cage, with room to spare.)
- Fill the floral tubes with water and put the caps on
- Use a sharp pruner to take milkweed cuttings at a 45° angle for optimal water absorption.
- Take small cuttings (at least 3 sets of leaves) to midsize cuttings (up to 2 feet) cuttings. The cutting size you use will depend on milkweed availability, cage size, and caterpillar size.
- Rinse off the cuttings thoroughly under a faucet, including both top and bottom of milkweed leaves.
- Nick the sides of what will be the submerged stem (in 2-3 places) with a hand pruner to increase water entry and prevent wilting.
- Stick the cutting through the hole in the lid of your tubes
- Space out the floral tubes in a floral tube rack (or find another way to keep them upright and secure)
- If cutting looks wilted after a few hours, try recutting at the bottom of the stem
Still suffering from wilted cuttings 🥀 😠
- Take milkweed stem cuttings and place them in a glass filled with about 2″ of hot tap water for about 3-5 minutes before placing them in floral tubes or cutting containers or
- Take Smaller Cuttings (in stalk width and/or height)
Find Floral Tubes + Rack Holders here ⬅️ (these will sell out sometime in August)
1a. Little Hole Lids for Small Milkweed Cuttings
If you’re using thin-stemmed host plants or leaf cuttings, make sure to add these yellow lids with small holes to prevent accidental 👼 caterpillar drownings. These lids are fitted for our FAT CAT Floral Tubes:
Find Little Hole Lids for FAT CAT Large Floral Tubes Here (these will not fit on other floral tubes so make sure to get our FAT CAT tubes if you purchase these.)
You could also try putting in 2-3 smaller stems (or leaf petioles) in the regular-size clear lids. This helps fill the lid hole to capacity and prevents potential drowning accidents. (We prefer the Little Hole Lids linked above for this purpose.)
2. Floral Picks w/ Stem Cuttings in Food Storage Containers w/ Marbles or Vase Fillers
Make a hole in the middle of the storage container lid with a phillips head screwdriver. Put marbles or vase fillers inside the container and put on the lid. The marbles/vase fillers will hold each pick in place and keep the cutting upright.
3. Stem Cuttings Directly in Food Storage Containers w/ Marbles or Vase Fillers
Use the same food storage container as in 2, but this time put the cuttings directly through each lid hole. If there are any small holes the caterpillar could crawl through, cover them with small strips of duct tape after the cutting has been inserted into the water.
If you want a container that holds more water use a wider container (ie food container, short jar, short vase) instead of a taller container (ie gatorade bottle, water bottle, tall vase) because tall containers are more likely to tip over. 😱
The vase fillers/marbles will keep the cutting from shifting. If this isn’t an issue with your container, you don’t need to use them.
note: any container opening would should be covered 100% to avoid accidental drownings. Try using plastic wrap with stems stuck through, tape, cotton ball stuck in opening, etc…whatever it takes to insure baby caterpillars can’t access the inside of the cuttings container.
4. Floral Picks, Food Storage Containers, Marbles/Vase Fillers
Leaf cuttings can be effective for keeping single common or swamp milkweed leaves fresh to hatch eggs or feed small caterpillars.
Don’t use the food storage container lid if you want to angle the floral pick in the container. This allows the common milkweed leaf to sit in a horizontal position, which is convenient for placing monarch eggs or caterpillars:
TIP: leaf petioles are short, but if you cut along the midrib of the leaf (on both sides) you can stick the leaf in further for less refilling.
5. Floral Tubes or Picks w/ stem cuttings + Cup
Use a cup or glass that allows the top of the floral pick to come just above the rim of the glass and it will stay securely in place. Racks are a better option because the tubes won’t move around.
Thank you for all the wonderful info. I’ve had so much fun raising cats and releasing beautiful Monarchs. I’ve managed to plant a nice amount of milkweed and can’t keep up with all the cats. I can only cage about 10 at a time in two cages. I was wondering if there is a particular plant/bush/tree I could grow so the cats can have something nearby to hang from when it’s time to form their chrysalis? Currently, we find them struggling across a large expanse of lawn to search in vain. I need to plant something they would use, next to the milkweed garden. I’m new to central Florida and Monarchs!
Hi Dee, monarchs will form chrysalides on plants and many other places. This list should give you a few ideas of what you could include in your garden:
50 places to look for a monarch chrysalis
I happen to have a beautiful rose of Sharon Bush next to my milkweed and that’s where they are hanging their chrysalis. I found this out the hard way when I went to snip a couple of branches off of the rose of Sharon that were leaning up against my screen, and here I found two of them hanging on them I had to clip them back to the branches with a twisty tie.
I am having increasing number of cats that make their chrysalis but never “hatch”. What’s my problem as this is very disappointing?
Hi Mathis, if the chrysalises turn black (no butterfly markings) this is bacterial disease or virus. If you see the butterfly markings, it’s possible the butterfly is heavily infected with OE parasites and can’t emerge. More info here:
Monarch Butterfly Diseases
I have two spindly milkweed plants that are quickly being consumed by several cats but I really don’t want to buy more plants (even if they are available). What happens to them if they run out of food? Will they eat anything else that happens to be nearby?
Hi Linda, if you run out of milkweed here are some options to consider:
911 milkweed Emergency
I had 14 caterpillars from instar 1 to instar 4 and when we bought two new milkweed plants Friday, they all died the next day! The new milkweed looks okay, a little darker or different variety from the one we’ve always used, and my caterpillars frankly looked miserable kinda rolling around before they just lay there. I don’t know what I did wrong. Maybe the new milkweed was contaminated in some way?
Hi Suzy, if the caterpillars were distressed after introducing new milkweed, it could be the milkweed was treated with pesticides or contained a pathogen:
Monarch Diseases and Caterpillar Killers
I was evacuated in the massive northern california wild fires from 10/10 through 10/23 and evacuated with 4 cats that I managed to feed for about a week before I ran out of milkweed. Thankfully, one local nursery still had milkweed and took them. Then, I came home a few days ago and found five 1″ long cats on my milkweed despite very heavy smoke and ash fall. They are hearty and eating well. Here’s my dilemma. I’ve kept two outside and brought in three because I don’t have much milkweed left. This is my first year trying to raise them and my cuttings just wilt within an hour despite a full container. I was taking the top leaves on the stems with the flowers because other caterpillars had already eaten the leaves below. Is there a technique to cutting milkweed? Size? part of the plant? I realize this is very late in the season but it’s still 90 degrees outside here in Santa Rosa CA and it’s a miracle they lived through the fires.
Hi Jill, I’m happy to hear you were able to return to your home. Also glad to hear your local monarchs are surviving through fires and excessive heat. You can really use any size cutting…for smaller cuttings you can use floral tubes, and for larger cuttings you can use containers. What matters most is the condition of the milkweed you are using. Good luck!
I live in arizona and brought in a monarch cat that was found on Desert Milkweed (Asclepias subulata) I’ve offered it leaves from tropical milkweed but so far it’s ignoring them. Do monarch cats eat tropical milkweed? I’m afraid it will starve as my Asclepias subulata doesn’t have many leaves left!
Hi Melinda, tropical milkweed is a preferred milkweed for monarchs. You should not have any issues switching over. good luck!
Hello,
I live on the central coast of California. Our local Monarch lady told me to cut my tropical milkweed all the way back this week. I went out to do it and found two eggs. There isn’t much milkweed left out there…do I bring these last two eggs in and cut the milkweed after I raise these two? Are they the last of the season or will more eggs be laid? I don’t want to mess up. Thank you!
Hi Claire, it’s impossible to ‘predict’ monarchs but it’s important to cut back the milkweed at some point. You can always stagger the cuttings so there will always be a few plants available for emergencies. congrats on finding more eggs and good luck!
This is my first attempt at raising a monarch caterpillar. He came out of his egg Aug. 24 and has been doing well in the food container – I clean the box and bring in a fresh milkweed leaf every day. He’s molted at least twice and has been growing and eating. Until today. I don’t think he’s moved at all today – and I’m concerned he might have died, but hope he’s maybe just having a lazy day. Any thoughts?
PS – good news – just checked on the sleepy caterpillar and it looks like he wasn’t moving all day because he was getting ready to molt again this afternoon. Now he’s munching away on the leaf.
As I said, I’m a novice at this!
Hi Nancy, they molt 5 times and they don’t move around too much before they do this…so hopefully just another lazy pre-molt.
I successfully recovered and raised 20 late-comer cats, with only 4 casualties. Too cold to release here, so I drove to TX last weekend (visited family as well). Fingers crossed that they all make it to Mexico??
I purchased 2 butterfly weed plants that are full of cats in different stages. The leaves are also covered with aphids. What should I do?
Hi Ann, I would try removing the caterpillars, rinse off the plants with a hose, and then put the caterpillars back on the plants…good luck!
Tony.. I use clear plastic small baby bottles. I cut a small hole in the nipples, fill with water, and insert the milk weed. I’ve done this for several years and it works great.
I tried to remove a dead chrysalis and three were attached to a webbing and fell down I have the webbing with three hanging from bag clips but not sure it would hold. What do you do if one falls from the top of the cube ? How do you hang it?
Hi Carol, if the bag clips close tightly that could work. You could also use binder clips. We use scotch magic tape to rehang under cupboards and on our kitchen overhang. I recently discovered it sticks well to the top of the cube too. If you try that, just put a towel on the floor to make sure it holds…good luck!
Hello, I have been moving monarch caterpillars from a scrawny milkweed plant by my front porch to an area in my garden that I have allowed milkweed to grow large and undisturbed. They seem to thrive there. We were surprised but happy to find a chrysalis hanging from the bottom of a wooden porch table quite a distance from any milkweed. Don’t really know how long it was there but yesterday I observed that it was still dark. This morning it is empty and the bottom is open as though it hatched. Is this possible?
Hi Dolores, if the chrysalis was darkening and you could see butterfly markings through it…yes! ?
My first year raising Monarchs, quite by coincidence. I have a large patch of Common milkweed in my backyard. Watched a female go from plant to plant depositing her eggs. I then harvested 5 eggs, and one 1st stage “cat”. This was August 2nd, the “cat” is now 5th onstar, and I think very soon will be looking to pupate. The eggs all hatched and are now in
their 3rd instar. Fascinating to watch, and yes a lot of work cleaning leaves and frass, but well worth it. Found two more eggs today (August 11th, 2017) while getting fresh food. I live in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Can’t wait to continue this great cause next year, now that
I know what I’m doing. Thanks for all the tips, your site has been very helpful.
I currently have 18 Monarch Caterpillars that were found on my common milk weed plants. They have eaten an entire plant in 2 days. I have several types of milkweed in my yard can they eat any of them? I’ve only foumd them on my common milkweed plants. So I’m not intirely sure.
yes Rebecca, they can eat other milkweed varieties. Check out some of the options here:
Milkweed for Butterfly Gardens
Hi,
I am currently raising a monarch caterpillar. I hear you have to change the leaves every day, because they can carry disease if they are to old. I put a new leaf in but yet my caterpillar stays on the old one. That kind of concerns me. How can I get him to the new leaf?
Thanks,
Tom
Hi Tom, if you are using single leaves, just cut a small square around the caterpillar and set the tiny leaf piece on the new leaf. It should be able to find the fresh milkweed quickly.
Hi Tony,
Thanks so much for supplying us with a plethora of knowledge on all things monarchs. I am a librarian and this is my second summer raising monarchs in the library for all to see and follow. Everyone is fascinated … and all my staff have become monarch experts. 🙂
My question is regarding cleaning cut milkweed : when I have time I like to soak my milkweed cuttings in a sink of fresh water (AFTER checking that there aren’t eggs or itty bitty cats on the leaves, of course!). This gets rid of most – but NOT all – of the pests that share the milkweed with my caterpillars. What is the best way to truly clean the milkweed? I find I have to go leaf-by-leaf and pick/smear/flick off any aphids or other unidentifiables that may have survived the sink soak. I’m always worried I’ll miss something and lose a caterpillar to tachnid flies or some other pest. Any other way to do this? Seems like such an arduous task and I’m wondering if there are any shortcuts … if not, I’ll carry on as before but thought I’d ask.
Thanks again!
Hi Monica, how great to hear the whole library staff is getting involved! For cuttings, I would not worry so much about bringing in tachinids. If a caterpillar has tachinid flies, they got to them outside before you did. Small spiders are another story. One way they can be avoided is by never bringing in buds/flowers on your cuttings because those are easy places to hide. I don’t soak cuttings, just rinse them thoroughly under the sink. happy raising!
When bringing in fresh milkweed clippings to replace the wilted ones, should we leave the wilted ones that have very young caterpillars on them in the flower pick and add fresh ones or should we transfer the tiny caterpillars from the old milkweed to the fresh? I’ve tried cutting around the caterpillar on the old leaf and setting it on the new leaf, but they tend to fall off. I’ve tried leaving the leaves flat on the bottom of the cube, but they become covered in frass so I’d like to continue with vertical clippings in the tubes. Not sure if I should ever “encourage” the little caterpillars to move from the old to the new leaf…
Hi Kathleen, the cuttings should not be wilting. Try taking them in the evening or early morning and nick the sides several times so it can take in more water. When the cuttings are getting near the end, just place a new cutting next to the old one so the caterpillar can crawl over…good luck!
If I place my milkweed cuttings and caterpillars inside a terrarium, should the milkweed height reach the top fo the terrarium so they can get up there, or can they climb the naked walls? If the milkweed should reach the ceiling of the terrarium, what safe material should I use as a shelf for my milkweed inside the terrarium? thanks!
Hi Natalie, these are the 3 cage types we use:
caterpillar cages
Not all terrariums are made from the same materials so you would need to experiment and see what works…good luck!
I have about ten milkweed plants that I started from seeds last year. Are there any monarchs in southern ohio. I havent seen one in ten years, but I didnt have any milkweed then. My plants are about three feet tall an one has several buds on it. Heres hoping!
Luther
Hi Luther, there are definitely monarchs in your region and many sightings already in 2017…this looks like a good year for monarchs:
Spring Monarch Migration Map
I planted tropical milkweed seeds last year in two pots outdoors by our patio, and had a lot of nicely blooming plants last summer. I saw at least two Monarchs on the blooms. We are not on the major flyway south of Fort Worth, TX. We over wintered the plants indoors. They are close to blooming again outdoors. We had two Monarch caterpillars that I saw, eating something on the dead portion of the stalks—like little bugs or whatever, even though there were plenty of green leaves. On May 1, I saw a caterpillar in the J position under our glass patio table, soon becoming a green chrysalis. It turned black Sat. I was so excited! As a perfect Mother’s Day gift, the butterfly emerged perfectly yesterday, the 14th! My husband thinks the eggs had to be layed this spring, but we have had no butterflies that I have seen. Could the eggs have survived from last fall?
Thanks for your help! Carole
Hi Carole, you definitely had a butterfly come through and lay eggs in early to mid-April….congrats! (monarchs overwinter as adults in Mexico and coastal California)
I find that the medium size clear plastic to go drink cups with the lid on is great vase for the milkweed. I also use the gray cardboard 4 cup drink holders perfect to hold the cups. Together. They are heavy enough to hold the cage down so it doesn’t blow over outside ! Plus it’s also recyclable when it’s time to clean the cage!
I have tried cuttings, but they only seem to stay fresh a few days, and then you are hunting for caterpillars ? to move them to new cuttings. I really prefer 1 or 2 gallon
organic non- sprayed milkweed PLANTS
inside the cage. They can last for a couple of weeks, and you can then recycle them, replacing them with fresh plants, and putting the old ones out to recover and regrow. I now have about 25 plants to recycle when it is time to replace. My large cage holds 4 two gallon, or 6 one gallon milkweed plants.
Hi Mary Sue, the problem with plants is that they are harder to rinse/clean, and there’s more hiding places for stowaway predators to hide. We raise ours in a porch so they’re exposed to the outdoor climate minus the extremes…and no predators and disease issues.
If your cuttings are wilting, nick the sides so there are more water entry points…it works!
I am a complete novice. If the milkweed gets aphids is it a problem for the caterpillars?
Hi Kris, an aphid infestation isn’t good for the health of your plants, but monarchs can survive on plants with aphids. If you are bringing in stem cuttings you can just rinse the aphids off. Here’s more oleander aphid info:
How to Stop Aphids from Taking Over your Milkweed
I’ve used a few of your tips, but will definitely put more of these into use. I’ve had years where I was running out of milkweed, and I recently came across information that during their final instar, Monarchs will eat the exposed interior flesh of cucumber and pumpkin! So this could be a lifesaver for those running out of food if you have a second cage to move the big boys into, as they aren’t going to change food sources unless the Milkweed is removed and this is the stage that they eat the most. Their frass will be orange if they eat the pumpkin! I would think organic would be preferable, but washing and removing the skin either way would be wise. Very informative, useful website for beginners and pros alike!
How did using cukes work?
Hi Diane, crunchy cucumber does not seem to be as reliable an alternative as butternut squash. However, it’s not know how these alternative milkweed sources affect monarch health.
Hi,
I am in central Florida expecting a hurricane and just found some baby Catapillars on my milkweed. We have had great luck and watched about 30 chrysalis hatch and fly away last month. I would like to try and save them from the storm. I don’t have the bud containers or really anything. I’m new at this . Am I wrong to do this? They are in my fenced in yard but the storm will probably destroy them
Hi Megg, if you don’t have a caterpillar cage, you can always try makeshift cages like jars, buckets, or food storage containers. You can place tulle fabric over the top (with a rubber band) instead of the cover to give the cage better ventilation. This should give them a much better chance of survival.
Don’t forget the old common practice of pounding the stems of lilacs to keep them longer. I take a little hammer and lightly pound the milkweed stems before putting them in water. This exposes more stem to absorb water and they don’t wilt.
I have no luck with cuttings. No matter whether I use picks or glass bottles, the cuttings wilt before they eat all the leaves. This is my first year with a butterfly cage and have had great success, but I have to use plants, not cuttings. Any advice?
Hi Betty, if you use your pruner or a knife to nick the sides of the cutting in a couple additional places it can take up more water. The larger the cutting, the more water it will need to take in…
I have a question. I am new to this butterfly gardening/breeding. My question if I can breed monarchs in my backyard would this be their permanent home. will they fly away and come back or what?
Hi Toni, they would fly away to mate, feed, and/or lay eggs.
Thanks Tony for a lot of good info. Total rookie year, but so far so good. Here is a question I did not see (or missed). I have monarchs laying eggs on the common Milkweed in my yard, but I am running out of non aphid infested common milkweed to feed them as the season goes on, but have lots of swamp milkweed close at hand. Will they cross over to the different type of milkweed as tiny caterpillars?
Hi Sherrie, congrats on your successful first season! Monarchs can be easily switched between common and swamp milkweed…good luck!
With regard to common milkweed having short stems and keeping the water level high…..I have had success in cutting the leaf away from the stem about an inch up to get the stem further into the tube. Doesn’t harm the leaf and less work. Great blogs! Haven’t seen any Monarchs in Virginia Beach yet! Currently raising Palamedes ST, American Lady, Snout, Red Spotted Purple, Pipevine ST, and Spicebush ST……the releases are awesome!
That sounds like a simple solution Chris…thanks for sharing. It sounds like you are having a good butterfly season so far….congrats!
Our chrysalis turned black 2 days ago and as of yet no butterfly has emerged. Is there still hope she/he will make it out?
Hi Heather, if your chrysalis turned black and you can’t butterfly markings the monarch has died of disease. Here’s more info:
7 Monarch Diseases and Caterpillar Killers
Hi all,
This is the first year that I will be trying to raise monarchs. I have plenty of common milkweed in my yard (no flowers on them yet) and spotted just one butterfly the other day. I’m afraid that I won’t find any eggs without more butterflies. What can I do?
Hi Sandi, you have milkweed and now monarchs in the area, so you’re off to a good start. In spring they often like to lay eggs on the milkweed buds before they flower so before to check those. Here are some raising tips to get you prepared for your first raising experience:
21 tips for Raising Monarchs Indoors good luck
The small serving containers for side dishes at most fast food places have a good low center of gravity with a hole poked in the cover to hold several leaves upright, and fit inside a large tank or enclosure. More kFC mashed potatoes!
Who knew KFC did so much to support monarchs? LOL
Here in SoCal, we’ve been hatching eggs for quite some time. I found myself with too many caterpillars for the number of containers I had. I finally settled on the shallow containers from KFC, the ones with the red lids. I punched four holes around the edge, filled with water, and stuck in the cuttings of my tropical milkweed. My container holds three of these waterers, and they are flat so they don’t turn over. And, they are free with your dinner!
We are heading out on vacation for three weeks pretty soon, so I have hatched all my babies and set them free, and will pick up again when we get home. Didn’t want to turn the raising over to strangers – too much work!
That sounds like a great idea for larger cuttings…thanks and enjoy your vacation Connie!
Hi Tony,
I use the floral tubes (aquatube) with the rounded bottoms. They are 4 inches tall. I press the tubes into a floral foam ring and I can fit about 9 water tubes in one foam ring. This foam looks like an O-ring washer, only much larger, of course. I have to be careful when pressing the tubes in, because it a little fragile and too much pressure can crack the ring. I have also used paper/plastic cups, inverted with a hole on the bottom of the cup to insert the water tubes. It works, but with many caterpillars, it takes more space. The Monarchs haven’t reached my gardens yet, so I have been using the floral tubes on the Eastern Black Swallowtails. It works very well. I had around 70 eggs and about half of them are caterpillars now, they are using the water tube method for feeding and egg hatching. I think this is going to be another busy summer. Happy Gardening!
I’ll pick leaves from the wild milkweed in the fields, put them between moist paper towels in a Ziploc bag, and either put them in the fridge or the freezer. I lay them down on the paper towels in the screened aquarium as needed. They are always fresh….and doesn’t seem to dampen their appetites in the least. And it saves the plants in my yard for egg depositing.
Still waiting to see my first egg, or even Monarch in SE. MI.
Hi Joan, storing leaves in the refrigerator definitely keeps them fresh, but stem cuttings require less switching out of milkweed and keep the caterpillars from crawling around in frass. You can also take short cuttings so there’s lots of milkweed left outside for eggs.
I know people have started finding eggs in your region, so keep your eyes peeled and good luck!
I used the containers with floral stones, so much easier than leaf by leaf. I did use some common leaves, since they are so big, didn’t want to totally strip the plant, but you advised it would grow back, so I went back to the containers. Originally had 17 cats, last 2 J’d last evening, sadly they were having some sort of issue, so I euthanized them. Thank you so much for all the great info you provide.
I’m glad the cuttings are working for your Theresa…they really make raising so much easier and can be even more helpful if you have a limited milkweed supply. congrats again to you and your grandkids on the first big batch of monarchs in a while!
Thanks 🙂
Floral picks work well for me. I just put them in a glass or jar to hold them upright.
I also have had success raising cats in jars with just leaves. I put a piece of paper towel in the bottom of the jar and drop in just enough water to make it damp. I lean individual leaves against the side of the jar where they will last for several days to a week. The jar has a lid with holes which gives circulation, but also holds the moisture in. When the cats are really tiny and could escape through the holes, I put a coffee filter over the top of the jar before I screw on the lid. I don’t have a very big operation, so I only have one cat per jar any may have up to 10 jars going at once on a shaded window sill. A piece of masking tape on the jar allows me to track dates of each individual’s progress.
As frass accumulates, I pull out the leaf with the cat and dump the rest of the contents. Then I my friend gets a fresh piece of damp paper towel and fresh leaves for another week. I’ve learned not to actually wash the jar with each cleaning because it removes the fine web the cats build on the side of the jar for traction.
Thanks for sharing your tips Zoe and have a fantastic season!