Start a Monarch Rearing Group | Midtown Brandywine

Bring It to Your Neighborhood

You don’t need a big plan to make a big difference. When a few neighbors decide to raise monarchs together, something special starts to happen. You slow down. You notice more. You connect.

The Midtown Monarch Monitors started with just a few neighbors who wanted to try raising monarchs. Over time, it turned into something much more. We built trust. We shared wonder. We found new reasons to know and care about each other.

Now we want to help others do the same. You don’t need to be a scientist. You don’t need to be an expert. You just need curiosity, a bit of coordination, and a desire to bring people together.

Why This Works

When you raise monarchs with your neighbors, something changes. People slow down. They talk to one another. They notice things they hadn’t before.

There’s no agenda, no politics, no pressure. Just a shared experience and a common sense of awe. That’s rare these days, and it’s powerful.

How to Get Started

You don’t need a formal group. You don’t need funding. Just start small and see where it leads.

Find a few neighbors who are curious about nature or gardening
Share the idea: print a flyer, knock on doors, or bring it up at a block party
Start with two or three eggs per person and raise them using our safe, simple methods
Keep in touch: use a group text, email thread, or casual meetups
Celebrate together: have a mini-release party, a milkweed planting day, or a neighborhood walk

These small actions create big ripples. Soon, you’ll find that people are more connected and more invested in nature, in the neighborhood, and in one another.

What to Include in Your Group

Each neighborhood can put its own spin on things, but here’s what has worked well for us:

Safe Monarch Rearing Follow responsible methods to protect butterflies and support citizen science (See our Methods page for full details)
Shared Events Host casual get-togethers like happy hours, garden walks, or group milkweed plantings
Data Logging and Tagging Contribute to national monarch tracking by recording basic information before each release
A Way to Stay in Touch Use whatever platform works—email, text, phone trees—to keep your group connected

Use Our Resources

We’ve created everything with sharing in mind. You are welcome to use our methods, adapt our ideas, and borrow language from our site. Our hope is that this project continues to inspire more neighborhoods to get curious, get connected, and bring back a bit of magic to everyday life.

Need Help? Reach Out

If you’re thinking of starting a group and have questions, we’d love to help. Contact us and we’ll gladly share our experiences, tips, and encouragement. Click on "contact us", then select "Midtown Monarchs" in the form for your message to be directed to our group.

We believe every neighborhood deserves this kind of connection. Yours can be next.

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Midtown Brandywine Neighborhood Association. A Wilmington neighborhood where community matters.

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Wilmington, DE