VERGAS, Minn. — A rural Vergas, Minnesota, boy has the best summer story ever, ahead of returning back to school in Perham. The second grader has spent several weeks raising and releasing monarch butterflies.
Eight-year-old Jaxon Schrupp is quite the connoisseur of the chrysalis. "The fat ones are in these three pens, this one is bigger because I got it for my birthday," Jaxson said, standing next to boxes full of caterpillars and milkweed. At his family's deep woods home near Vergas, Jaxson showed his intense summer project, growing and caring for the butterflies.
"We have caterpillars in here that are fat because they eat a lot," Jaxson said. Special caterpillar and butterfly boxes are from his grandma and grandpa. "We bought these for the medium-size caterpillars and you can't touch them," he said.
They are full of milkweed and soon to be beauties. "I have no idea how many, a lot," Jaxson said about a wooden box full of chrysalis pupas hanging from the top. From egg, to baby caterpillars, to the hatch and release, Jaxson has raised 213 this summer.
You heard right. Jaxson has raised 213 monarch butterflies this summer, and released them. "The chrysalis gets really, really dark and then it is time to hatch," he said.
Jaxson doesn't have to go far to find his caterpillars. He lives deep in the woods near Vergas, so he just goes out his back door. "I look for munch holes on the milkweed and poop," Jaxson said, walking the ditches near his house.
Jaxson is a natural scout. "There's a tree frog, oop, got one," Jaxson said, briefly distracted by a frog find. He knows what milkweeds to look for.
"It is that easy to find these little guys," he said, after quickly finding a baby caterpillar. And he's always a team player. "Next time I see one, I will walk past it and let you try to find it, " Jaxson said to the reporter.
He's as excited about finding a caterpillar today as he was at the start of summer 2024. "He found one!" Jaxson said excitedly. This monarch man, who in two years has released nearly 500 monarch butterflies, soon to make the 2,500-mile journey from Minnesota to Mexico.
"Oop, look at that, one is literally right there, come here buddy," Jaxson said kindly to the caterpillar, like they were family. Over the weekend in Perham, the Bug Expo judges awarded Jaxson the best overall champion for his butterfly work..
