Help save the Monarchs 1 caterpillar at a time

Plant/caterpillar combos are sold out for 2025. Extra potted $5 annual feeder plants are available now but they are still very small. By mid Sept. they will be a nicer size to feed those last few caterpillars of the season.

Milkweed 4 Monarchs
8741 Elizabethtown Rd.
Elizabethtown, PA. 17022-8474
 (It's the long stone lane)

Hours: Thurs thru Sundays from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM until sold out. Call ahead if you want to make sure caterpillars are available. 717-367-9656 (no text, old school)

Milkweed 4 Monarchs (map) is offering potted milkweed plants and a Monarch caterpillar for $5. Some 24″ cages are available – $20.00. Ranging in height from 16″ to 28″ the plants are the perfect height for the mesh Insect Habitat Cages. Watching the lifecycle of the Monarch caterpillar, pupation, and then seeing a new Monarch Butterfly emerge is an amazing learning opportunity for children and it all takes place in about 1 month. Sadly 90-95% of all caterpillars in the wild don’t make it to adulthood. Providing a mesh enclosure not only keeps them safe but you get to watch the entire amazing lifecycle. Some 24″ cages will be available this year for $20. But many sizes are available through Amazon and locally at Hostetter’s Hardware in Mt. Joy. This offer for Local pickup only.

* If you have milkweed and just want a caterpillar to raise in an enclosure, you can check out the Common Milkweed field and hunt for your own caterpillar anytime. Bring a container.

Now is the time to start thinking about next year too. The Insect Habit Cages are wonderful Christmas presents for children and the caterpillars with plants will be available each year. Think about growing your own milkweed and visit the Milkweed Market from May thru Sept.15. Caterpillars you find on your own milkweed can be brought into the enclosures for safety.

Black Swallowtail caterpillars are available for those without milkweed. A few 24″ tall cages are available here for $20 .pdf printout for raising monarchs from Monarch Joint Venture .org You can search for your own caterpillars on the Parsley patch. Bring a small container to take them home.

There are many sites that have information on raising the caterpillars in enclosures and there are books at the library and sold on Amazon. Also many Facebook Groups dedicated to this. Here in Elizabethtown PA we have Sherry Wilkinson who manages the Facebook page The Monarch Project. Her page has information on what is needed and how to do it successfully.

Tropical Milkweed – A. curassavica is an annual milkweed here in PA. It is not cold tolerant but it grows quickly and provides a lot of food for those hungry monarch caterpillars (often referred to as “cats”.

Milkweed 4 Monarchs is located in Elizabethtown PA next to the Wolgemuth Park on E-Town Rd. Interactive map:

8741 Elizabethtown Rd. Elizabethtown PA 17022