Date: 08/25/2020

Number: 500

We literally have an explosion of monarchs and new cats. All started from nothing 8/8/20 and now have more than we have ever seen at one time. We have them at all stages from eggs, mating, cats, and adults.

I generally try to capture as many as possible after they are born because I don't have that much luck on the eggs. That being said, we have so many caterpillars and adult monarchs that I have no capacity to take care of them all. Walking around the neighborhood and talking to friends, they are all over the city in large numbers.
So, I would say from just observation that half are raised inside the butterfly house, which is outside and and totally screened in to protect them from predators. Almost all of them go to chrysalis outside and then we bring them in to protect them again from mice and wasps, and then release them the day they are born (pending the weather, of course).

I would say 550 protected from predators (not the weather) and at least that many in the wild that we can't get to. I have over 1000 stems of milkweed in my yard :) We have entire areas that we haven't even looked at but there are holes in the leaves everywhere. Hopefully that gives you some accuracy - so we have over 1000 monarchs (which means adults down to larvae - not eggs) now on our property.

Saint Louis, MO

Latitude: 38.6 Longitude: -90.4

Observed by: Jim
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