Annual Cycle of Monarchs Chart for North America
There are four generations of monarchs we see each year in North America. If the season is extended by an early spring or late summer, there will likely be an extra generation(s):
I am often asked if the caterpillars that people are raising will be the migratory generation. There are a number of factors that dictate whether a butterfly will be in sexual diapause (not mating until late winter in Mexico) and they'll follow their instincts when they are released. We typically see mating in Minnesota through mid-late August.