We are currently closed while we propagate and grow plants for fall.
We’ll reopen on October 1 for the next planting season
Responsible Stewardship
Many of us grew up raising monarch caterpillars, protecting chrysalises, or releasing butterflies because we genuinely wanted to help. Those actions came from a place of caring.
As scientists have learned more about monarch biology and conservation, their recommendations have changed. Today, the emphasis has shifted from protecting individual butterflies to protecting the healthy ecosystems and natural processes that sustain monarch populations.
Why Our Understanding Has Changed
The recommendations have changed, not because people were wrong, but because scientists know far more about monarch biology today than they did twenty years ago.
Research has shown that several factors deserve consideration:
Disease
Raising monarchs in captivity or repeatedly handling them can increase the risk of spreading diseases and parasites within monarch populations.
Migration
Monarchs rely on environmental cues to regulate migration, reproduction, and diapause. Artificial conditions may alter these natural behaviors.
Stress
Handling, transporting, and rearing monarchs can expose them to unnecessary stress.
Healthy Wild Populations
Wild populations are shaped by natural selection. Allowing monarchs to complete their life cycle naturally helps maintain healthy, resilient populations.
Protecting Populations Instead of Individuals
Conservation has shifted from trying to save individual monarchs to protecting the habitats and ecological processes that allow healthy populations to thrive.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
In California, you need a Scientific Collecting Permit (SCP) from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to handle monarch butterflies. This includes handling for educational purposes. The permit requirement applies to monarchs wherever they are found in the state, including on private property.
It's illegal to collect, remove, or rear monarchs without an SCP.
These regulations are intended to allow nature to proceed without human interference. This includes preventing urban gardeners from protecting caterpillars and chrysalids, putting them into enclosures, or raising eggs, caterpillars, or chrysalids indoors.
Read the official California Department of Fish and Wildlife FAQ (PDF).
Read the official CDFW guidance regarding handling, rearing, and protecting monarch butterflies.
Can I handle monarchs?
No. In California, handling monarch eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, or butterflies requires a Scientific Collecting Permit issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Can I raise monarch caterpillars at home?
No. In California, raising monarchs requires a Scientific Collecting Permit and is not recommended as a conservation practice.
Research has shown that captive rearing can:
-
Increase the spread of disease, including OE
-
Disrupt migration behavior
-
Reduce fitness for survival in the wild
Can I protect caterpillars with a cage or net?
No. In California, covering or enclosing monarch caterpillars is considered handling and requires a Scientific Collecting Permit.
Although it may feel helpful, protecting individual caterpillars can sometimes do more harm than good. It can:
-
Increase stress
-
Spread disease
-
Disrupt natural development
The best way to help monarchs is to create healthy habitat and allow their life cycle to proceed naturally.
But I just want to help.
That instinct makes perfect sense. Many of us grew up believing that raising monarchs was one of the best ways to help.
Today, scientists know that healthy monarch populations depend on healthy ecosystems rather than protected individuals. Creating habitat and allowing monarchs to complete their life cycle naturally is one of the most effective ways to support long-term conservation.
Why aren't butterfly releases recommended?
The release of commercially reared monarch butterflies at weddings, memorials, festivals, and other events is no longer considered a conservation practice. Although these releases are well-intentioned and often meant to celebrate monarchs, they do not contribute to the recovery of western monarch populations.
Research has shown that commercially reared butterflies may introduce disease into wild populations, introduce non-local genetics , and interfere with natural migration and breeding patterns. For these reasons, the conservation community discourages butterfly releases as a way to help western monarchs.
If you want to celebrate monarchs, the most meaningful gift you can give is habitat. Plant native milkweeds and nectar plants, avoid pesticides, and support community science efforts that help us better understand and conserve healthy wild populations.
What Can I Do?
Responsible stewardship isn't about doing less for monarchs. It's about helping in ways that science has shown are most effective. By creating healthy habitat and allowing natural ecological processes to function, each of us can contribute to stronger monarch populations.
