How many eggs does a female monarch butterfly lay?

A female butterfly only lays eggs over a 2-5 week period. During this time, she probably lays an average of 300-400 eggs in the wild. Numbers in captivity are higher - about 500-700 depending on things like temperature and the conditions under which the female is kept. In captivity, monarchs have been recorded laying as many as 1100 eggs! Of course, most monarchs in the wild don't survive the egg and larva stage, but are eaten by predators and are an important part of their ecosystem. It is not necessary to bring monarchs in from the wild to raise and protect them, the most important thing we can to is create habitat! Read our handout Raising Monarchs: Why or Why Not? or watch our March 2019 webinar Monarchs in a Web of Life - Predators, Parasites, and Disease for more information.