I'll convey the message ??

They are my favorites

I have been raising butterflies from eggs/larva for four years. The first two years I bought monarch larva from butterflybushes.com because there was no milkweed and no established wild monarch population in my neighborhood. It took two years to get milkweed established and the beginning of a monarch population, so for most the third and fourth year I did not have to purchase larva because I had sufficient milkweed and nectar plants to support a monarch population.

If you want to raise monarchs, or even just keep wild monarchs in your area, having milkweed plants is an absolute necessity because they will only lay eggs on milkweed. If you do not have milkweed, you can generally buy it at local nurseries.

I have never purchased black swallowtail eggs or larva because once I learned that their host plants (the plant that must be present for the adult females to lay eggs on) are various herbs, I started planting herbs in the ground and in pots around the yard. I don't yet have much fennel (a perennial) established in the yard but have had great success using parsley plants, which can either be started from seed or purchased at a plant nursery.

The next step after making sure you have the correct host plant for the type of butterfly you wish to attract is to have "raising chambers" in which to nurture the eggs or larva through the chrysalis stage. Hopefully, within the next couple of days, I will do a post about raising chambers. Many butterfly oriented websites sell raising chambers, but all of mine are recycled and/or repurposed and cost almost nothing to construct.

@MikeEC Thanks, that was very helpful. I have a butterfly garden, this is my third year. The first year nothing, the second year I believe the invitations must have gotten lost. This year, I hope for better results. I have not been able to grow milkweed, although I've attempted. Time for new seeds and keep trying. They're weeds so shouldn't be such a problem to grow. Anyway, I'll post some photos when everything has grown a bit more.

@AstralSmoke Hi, I have had trouble raising milkweed from seeds and as I have a brown thumb, I prefer to buy small plants and transplant them into larger pots or in the ground. Milkweed seeds seem to take a long time to sprout. Once you have some milkweeds though, it is easy to cut the stems and start new plants from the cuttings. Especially when hungry monarch caterpillars have stripped all the leaves off! If you buy milkweed plants, try to get them from a small nursery that you can trust and ask them if the plants are sprayed. Most large commercial retailers sell plants that have been treated with neonicitinoids or other pesticides that will kill caterpillars. Good luck in your butterfly gardening!

@TerriCity Thanks. I've purchased some new seeds and have stuck them in the refrigerator. I'll pull them out after about 5 weeks and try again. They're weeds so can't be that difficult. I will be successful!

@AstralSmoke Have you tried any of your local nurseries for potted milkweed? Two years ago, this locally owned farmers market did not even carry milkweed, last year they had a few plants, and this year they have a whole section devoted to milkweed.

@MikeEC Our nature enter offered some. Too expensive and I have a stubborn streak.