Women showing a butterfly’s life from egg to release

Start with an egg, not the release

Jordan Rae’s monarch account is a strong place to start when you want the whole process. She follows eggs on milkweed through caterpillar growth, the chrysalis and adult emergence, then describes releasing the butterflies. Her article links her own YouTube shorts on the life cycle, metamorphosis, hatching and release. The short videos give you the movement; the photographs and notes fill in the time between them.

References: Jordan Rae · Jordan Rae

The starting point matters: Rae noticed a female around the milkweed and found eggs on the underside of leaves. The egg is the beginning of the sequence she follows, while the adult’s visit connects it to the next generation. For someone interested in breeding as well as raising, this is a way into the reproductive cycle without treating every appearance of an adult as a breeding event.

References: Jordan Rae

Pulenaz takes the observer’s route. On a garden visit she pauses by a host plant, watches a butterfly settle and later returns to the same leaves with her camera. She keeps her attention on what she can see, comparing the small marks on a leaf with the animal in front of her rather than claiming to identify every one. Her quiet curiosity makes a useful companion to Rae’s much closer study.

The work between the dramatic moments

Rae includes the daily jobs alongside the transformation: she describes replacing paper lining so that caterpillar droppings, or frass, do not accumulate. Her account is useful precisely because a viewer can see that the project requires attention between the appealing shots of the chrysalis and butterfly.

References: Jordan Rae

Monarch caterpillars need milkweed, and the supply needs to remain fresh. Monarch Watch recommends replacing dried leaves and removing frass; damp, dirty conditions and crowding can encourage problems. Plant source matters too: its guidance warns that heavily treated plants may retain pesticide even after washing.

References: Monarch Watch

Suzanne Tilton of Butterfly Lady offers another way into the subject: her 2021 live-video monarch course covered caterpillar care, chrysalises, adult care, release and minimizing disease.

References: Suzanne Tilton / Butterfly Lady

In a rearing sequence, Tilton returns to a caterpillar enclosure, removes the soiled lining and replaces food before checking the animal again. Those ordinary tasks make the eventual emergence easier to understand as part of a sustained process.

From chrysalis to adult

Rae’s metamorphosis short catches the change that can be missed while looking away: the caterpillar sheds its skin to reveal the chrysalis. Her photographs also show the developing adult before emergence. After emerging, a monarch hangs with crumpled wings while fluid expands them; the wings then harden. That pause is part of the transition, not a failed attempt to fly.

References: Jordan Rae · Monarch Watch

Pulenaz lingers on that pause in her own viewing. She watches the wings unfold, then returns to an earlier image of the chrysalis to compare their shapes. Her pleasure is in seeing a change clearly enough to describe it, while Rae’s sequence supplies the longer account of the animal’s development.

Before release

Rae describes releasing the monarchs she raised and links a release short from the same article. Monarch Joint Venture advises against releasing a monarch suspected of disease, because infection could spread, and recommends keeping an unwell animal isolated.

References: Jordan Rae · Monarch Joint Venture

For monarchs, the Xerces Society recommends that people who choose small-scale educational rearing use locally collected animals, release them where collected at an appropriate time of year, and follow applicable collection rules. It favors habitat protection and native milkweed and nectar plants as conservation measures. Monarch Joint Venture recommends sanitizing containers between uses, while advising against bleaching eggs or milkweed.

References: Xerces Society · Monarch Joint Venture · Monarch Joint Venture

Choose Rae for a connected photographic account with short videos from life cycle to release. Tilton’s 2021 course shows how a video course can give practical care a central place. Pulenaz is the gentler companion for someone who wants to slow down and notice the transformation before deciding whether to learn more.

Sources and attribution

1. Jordan Rae

   Raising monarch butterfliesPublished Oct 1, 2025 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. Jordan Rae

   About mePublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

3. Jordan Rae

   A small updatePublished Jun 26, 2025 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

4. Suzanne Tilton / Butterfly Lady

   Raising Monarchs for Fun!Publication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

5. Monarch Watch

   Rearing MonarchsPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

6. Monarch Joint Venture

   What should I do if I suspect a monarch I am raising has OE or some other disease?Publication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

7. Monarch Joint Venture

   I have heard of people bleaching their milkweed and monarch eggs. Should I do this?Publication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

8. Xerces Society

   Keep Monarchs Wild: Why Captive Rearing Isn’t the Way to Help MonarchsPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026