Monarch Project Off To Slow Start

I am hoping to raise and release 240 monarch butterflies this year. However, my project is off to a slow start. My garden received a few visits from female monarchs in late March, but none that I have seen since. The weather has been unusually cool and additionally, monarch numbers are down this year. So, either one of those factors, or both, could be to blame. I have plenty of milkweeds in my garden and more blooming flowers than I have ever had. But I need gravid females to visit the garden.

I have two butterfly enclosures (left) that I place milkweed plants in. The caterpillars I capture are placed on those plants. Three of my 20+ monarch butterfly chrysalises (right) currently developing.

I currently have over 20 chrysalises in my enclosures, but few caterpillars to back them up. I need a fresh wave of eggs and subsequently caterpillars. Of course, every year the arrival of monarchs is episodic. And good weather in May — and a bit of good luck — could turn everything around. The spring monarch migration through Texas is still in its early stages. However, this is a disappointing start.

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