Monarch butterflies mainly eat nectar from flowers, and they need to eat several times a day to keep their energy up. Adult monarchs will eat from a wide array of nectar plants, including the flowers of milkweed. Sometimes monarchs will visit fruit to get the sugary calories they need, especially in more tropical areas of their range. They’re especially fond of oranges, mangoes, and rotting bananas. You can try putting out cut-up fruit in your garden to attract them, but they may or may not visit, especially if you have a lot of nectar flowers nearby. Since those nectar flowers and fruit really only provide them with sugary energy, monarchs have to look elsewhere for vital salts and other dissolved minerals. One key way they do this is by “puddling,” gathering on muddy ground or wet sand to sip the nutrient-rich water.

If you want to maintain adult monarchs in your classroom or home, you need to use the right food source. According to Monarch Watch, recommended food for adult butterflies includes Gatorade (but not red – it stains), Juicy Juice, Monarch Watch artificial nectar, and fresh cut fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apples, and bananas. If you are making nectar for newly hatched butterflies, you can mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts warm water and allow the sugar to fully dissolve. Saturate a tissue or paper towel with the solution and gently place your butterfly on it.