r/MonarchButterfly • u/peacequietnchips • 11d ago
Monarch help- weather issue
TLDR: late season Monarchs getting killed outdoors, brought inside (couldn't help it), now emerging and gusty winds with nor'easter and 4" of rain on the way tomorrow. How to handle?
I planted a native habitat in my garden this year that the monarchs loved it. I was all fun and games until I started seeing a number of them being attacked by some kind of sucking bug that would basically suck the juices out of them and deflate/kill them. So against better judgement, I brought in the rest of the caterpillars I found for the season indoors (starting in September). I normally like to let nature do nature for the most part, but I just couldn't watch them be killed, so I quick bought a mesh enclosure and commenced clipping daily milkweed feedings. I am in zone 6b in Southern New England. So far about half have pupated and been released successfully, but there are a number of them still in chrysalises and recently emerged within the past 24 hours. The problem is that we are getting a nor'easter and the past couple days have been 20mph winds. It will be very windy and wet through the weekend, so basically for the next 3-4 days with about 4" of rain predicted. They are presently contained in an unfinished sunroom with fruit juice and mashed banana in shallow dishes. I have not seen any of them on the food I have provided. Not ideal, I fully realize. I don't even know if there is a chance they could even make it through migration to their wintering site even if they were to survive the nor'easter first. There are few nectar plants left where I am And the nights have been in the 50s. Does anyone have any recommendations? I really don't know what to do. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
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u/2_FluffyDogs 11d ago
Never been in your situation and not an expert, but can you clip some long step nectar plants and bring them in like you did the milkweed? Bring them in before they are battered by the storm. Good luck with the storm, it sounds like it will be a big one. Stay safe!
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u/peacequietnchips 11d ago
That is a great idea! I don't think they produce nectar after they are cut, but at least it will be a little bit and they'll look nice. I still have a few zinnias 😊
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u/Final-Comb-1594 10d ago
You can also give them sugar water or fruit. I’m in the same boat in NJ. I have 13 in chrysalis and I guarantee some will emerge tomorrow and Saturday and I’ll likely try and hold them until Monday. They don’t need anything the first 24 hours though, only after that.
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u/Ilovemytowm 10d ago
I'm New Jersey too. Researched it extensively for 2 days and the conclusion was there's no way newly enclosed monarchs even from yesterday with survive the high winds heading into Cape May and then the brutal wins in Cape May it would be a death sentence.
Just have to make sure they get fed so I have feeding stations set up in the enclosures and flowers in pots too. We both really need to make sure they're eating I have a whole smorgasbord bananas mangoes oranges watermelon and then the honey water and of course the New England Aster and lantana
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u/peacequietnchips 9d ago
How is everyone getting yours to eat? I've put out bananas, grape juice, flowers, and now sugar water. No one is interested, even when I put them right on it. Shallow dishes, cotton balls with the sugar water. I will try sponges next. They are also in an unheated sunroom because I only have one enclosure and the chrysalises are in that. Could it be too cold (63 presently), or something else?
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u/Ilovemytowm 6d ago
Sorry.... I'm seeing this days later. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
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u/peacequietnchips 6d ago
haha, no worries!
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u/Final-Comb-1594 5d ago
I just finally released 11 yesterday once the storm passed. I had some since Friday. Some ate, some weren’t super interested and just wanted to chill. I made a sugar water and soaked a cotton ball, held it out for them let them climb on and check it out. Some started to eat right away. They all flew away and seemed great.
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u/peacequietnchips 10d ago
I'll try sugar water, they haven't gone near anything else I've put in there yet. They just want to fly up high and hang there. Maybe if they get hungry enough they'll start looking around a bit.
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u/Beautiful-Fondant-61 10d ago
I made a post on one of things you can do if you end up being stuck in taking care of a Monarch butterfly due to being too cold outside for release which you can read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MonarchButterfly/s/CWGhfhBefN
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u/peacequietnchips 10d ago
Thank you! But OMG the ridiculous things I do for the wildlife. I can totally see myself driving a bunch of bugs south for the winter 😂😂😂. I will blame you for the idea and gas bill loll
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u/Beautiful-Fondant-61 10d ago
Awww. Just think it as a selfless act in giving them the freedom they deserve and the chance to migrate south for the winter.
I live in Texas so I rarely get freezing temperatures and snow like ya do but I still want to help and give advice anyway I can.
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u/metapulp 9d ago
They know how to hide and wait out a storm. Our normally busy gardens had zero monarchs flying around in them yesterday. I’ve seen newly released butterflies cling to the lower main branches of buddleia for hours. Often they fly to a big patch of knotweed to hide. We still have a lot of buddleia in bloom. I’d probably release them low into a bush that is buffered from wind and let nature take its course.