Thank you for your interest in the Monarch Magic Program! This program runs October-December on an annual basis in conjunction with our native monarch butterfly’s life-cycle. Please stop by to pick up caterpillars/milkweed from 1-3 p.m. on Wednesdays and 11-1 p.m. on Saturdays. If you have questions that are not answered here please email Jackie Salas, Landscape Supervisor, at (her work schedule is Friday- Monday and she will get back to you as soon as she can!).

Monarch Magic foster family frequently asked questions:

Where should I put my terrarium in my house?

Caterpillars would benefit from a spot with moderate temperatures (around 65-70 degrees) and filtered daily sunlight- think the same conditions as a healthy houseplant.

Why can’t I feed the caterpillars milkweed from my backyard?

Our milkweed has been bleached to eliminate a deadly pathogen named Ophryocystis elektroscirrha that kills the caterpillars.

When can I pick milkweed up at Fairyland?

Weekly from 1-3 p.m. on Wednesdays and 11-1 p.m. on Saturdays October-early December.

When do I bring the caterpillars back to Fairyland?

Please bring the adult butterflies back to Fairyland after they have come out of their chrysalis, while they are still in their terrarium. They have to be tested for the O.E. pathogen we are trying to eliminate from our population (which people can learn more about here) before being released.

How do I feed adults butterflies before I bring them back?

With Flowers! All they need is a small nosegay of flowers to keep them happy for a few days. They love salvias or asters. Just make sure the flowers have not been sprayed with pesticides before feeding their nectar to the butterflies.

Caterpillar raising “Hacks” (Tips):

Use small necked bottles to hold milkweed stems. Caterpillars can’t swim, so if they fall in larger open mouth cups they can drown. You can also place a ziplock bag with rubber bands on a larger cup like a mini trampoline, and poke a couple of holes for the stems to go through.
Put paper towels on the bottom of the terrarium to collect dead leaves and caterpillar poop- you will be surprised how much they produce and it will make clean up so much easier (think small animal or birdcage cleaning)!
When the caterpillars get to be 4th and 5th instar size (they molt and get bigger during instar stages like reptiles) they can eat cucumber and pumpkin skin. Make sure it’s organic- traditional vegetables may have pesticide residue that would kill the insects!
The caterpillars should eat a couple of sprigs of milkweed at a time. The cup of milkweed you receive on Wednesday or Saturday is extra milkweed that should be kept in the refrigerator; individual sprigs can be pulled out of the cup and added as the caterpillars eat through it.