Monarch Videos

Every year our young children raise monarchs, collecting eggs from milkweed and patiently raising them indoors, observing all of the stages and then releasing them outside to our garden after they each emerge as a butterfly. Monarchs are a threatened species and we are happy to help in the ways that we can to help preserve the population. Join us on our educational journey and conservation efforts and enjoy our videos. We hope you learn as much as we did!

Monarch Caterpillar Hatching

A monarch caterpillar hatching from its egg and exploring its new world.

Monarch Caterpillar Eating

Caterpillars are very hungry.  They grow significantly over a very short period of time.  They increase their mass by 2000-3000% in just two weeks.  

This video is of a 5th instar caterpillar eating.  That's it!!!   (Well with some lovely music for you to listen to).  

As you watch you can see the mechanics of the eating, and the movement through the leaf, as well as the speed and amount eaten.  As you watch the caterpillar eat you can see it is easily eating it's own body length in milkweed.

Monarch Caterpillar Metamorphosis into a Chrysalis

The metamorphosis from a Monarch Caterpillar into a butterfly occurs during the pupa or chrysalis stage.  The Monarch caterpillar will hang upside down from a branch, hidden in leaves.

Monarch Butterfly Eclosion

The process of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis is called eclosion.