Nature’s Jewels
Butterflies are nature’s jewels and you can attract them to your garden if you provide them with food and shelter.
This page is about monarchs. So it is also about milkweed.
Milkweed is the host plant for monarch larvae. They eat the leaves. Female monarch butterflies lay eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves. 
Caterpillars hatch in three to 12 days, depending on temperature.
Milkweed provides monarch caterpillars and butterflies with a defense. Toxins in milkweed leaves build up in the insect’s body. They are a poisonous snack for predators.
Caterpillars eat steadily for about two weeks. They will shed their skin several times as they grow to three to four inches. When caterpillars are mature, they turn into a turquoise blue chrysalis. This process is called metamorphosis. After a week, an adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.
You can enjoy the life cycle of the monarch butterfly in your yard by planting milkweed to attract them. Here are planting directions from a mail piece we sent recently that contained milkweed seeds. 
You can collect your own seeds in the fall if you can find milkweed pods. Click here for a picture of a pod.
Links
There is plenty of great information about monarchs on the Web. Here are some links for you to explore.
Journey North
Learn how to join the symbolic migration of the Monarch butterfly to Mexico City for the winter.
Monarch Watch
This University of Kansas educational outreach program seeks to further science education, particularly in primary and secondary school systems as it promotes the conservation of Monarch butterflies. Great info on Monarch Biology, raising Monarchs, milkweed, migration and tagging, conservation issues, lesson plans, research projects, tips on butterfly gardening and more.
The Emergence of a Monarch Butterfly
Pictures of a Monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
Butterfly World
The U.S.’s largest butterfly house with 80 species from around the world. Hundreds of native Florida species live and fly freely outside in the gardens. Includes regional garden guidebooks to butterfly gardening.
The Milkweed Cafe
Pictures, videos, and information dealing with butterflies and Monarchs in particular. Also lists great resources for raising butterflies and gardening for butterflies. Great Quicktime movies of the monarch caterpillar entering the pupae stage and an adult monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.
