The Best Types Of Butterfly Feeders You Can Easily Make At Home
Butterflies are not only beautiful, but they're also pollinators, which means that they are very important to your garden's growth. If you want to lure them into your garden, there are two types of feeders you could easily DIY. The first option is a jar feeder filled with sugar water and hung upside down from a tree branch. To create this type, punch a hole in the lid of a jar with a hammer and nail, cut a piece of sponge to fit snugly inside the hole, and hang the jar with pieces of twine. You could also decorate the outside with faux flowers, which may entice butterflies to come close.
The second option is a saucer feeder, which can also be hung from a branch and can either hold pieces of fruit or sponges soaked in sugar water. To make this type, punch four evenly spaced holes around the rim of a plastic plate or yogurt lid, then thread a 2-foot piece of string into two holes that are across from each other, tying knots to keep them in place, and repeat the process with the other two holes. Tie these two strings together at the top, and decorate the piece however you desire.
Deciding what to feed your butterflies
Because butterflies eat through their straw-like proboscis, they typically prefer liquids. This is why you could feed them a sugary solution, which you can easily make at home. To do this, you'll need to dissolve one part granulated sugar or honey into four parts boiling water. Then, allow the liquid to cool before putting it inside a jar feeder or soaking it up with a sponge and placing it on your saucer. While any clean sponge could work, the best type may be a natural sea sponge. Further, while some recommend adding dye to this mixture, it's best to leave the color as is since the dye could harm the butterflies.
Another option is to feed your butterflies overripe fruits like bananas, berries, apples, papaya, oranges, and mango. To make sure they can drink the juice from these fruits, slightly mash or poke the fruit to soften it. These pieces can easily be placed on a saucer feeder. Once you notice that the fruit starts rotting or looking moldy, it's time to replace it.
Other ways to attract butterflies
Along with creating one of the above butterfly feeders, there are also other ways to attract these insects to your garden. For instance, because butterflies are pollinators, they're obviously attracted to flowers. You could plant black-eyed Susan, catmint, dill, lavender, lilac, sage, or yarrow, which will all increase your chances of seeing more of these beautiful creatures around your space.
Another way to entice them into your garden is by hanging pieces of fruit on hooks, which could be suspended from a tree branch. Or, you could fill a saucer with rocks and place a sugar-soaked sponge or pieces of fruit on top. This could simply be put on the edge of a porch balcony, on the ground, or any other flat surface. Just like every other creature, butterflies also need to drink water, so supplying them with a place to drink may be beneficial, like a small bird bath. Finally, you could place a salt lick somewhere in your yard. Female butterflies need sodium to produce eggs, so males typically eat these minerals and provide them for the females.