TipsFromtheGarden-
FruitsforButterflies-
For today's TipsFromtheGarden I thought I would give you all some hints for Butterflies. Even though we are in the middle of fall and on the edge of winter, these posts on Saturdays are meant to bring you all into the summer time for just a little while even if its cold,raining, snowing or even 20 below outside. This way you can have a bit of sunshine in the middle of the winter and you will be ready of the coming of Spring~
You all must already know how much I love hummingbirds by now! hehehhe:o)
However, I love all birds, owls, butterflies and critters of the summer. So for today's Saturdays post we are going to learn how to bring those beautiful butterflies into your backyards and porch's for those who live in Apts like myself.
I discovered that Butterflies have an strange taste for food compared to your average
birds. And some individual butterflies have even more odd tastes in their food I found out. Basically it can be a little difficult to figure out what these delicate critters
like to eat. Over the many years that I have had my Garden I haven't seen that
many of the delicate winged critters visit my garden. I always tried to find different
flowers that say they attract butterflies, however with not much success.
I think I still will do a bit more research on this, because I am sure I just
wasn't looking at the right place.. So stay tuned!
What I did discover is that the butterfly or at least most of them / not all mind you!
don't like the nectar of the flowers for their food source. Interesting Eh!
Why? Because it is very difficult for this beauty's to get too.
If you think about it most flowers have a cup like flower - they need a flat like surface.
So when I look for flowers for the Butterflies I am going to look for the kind that
have a very large flat surface.. So What I did discover if you would like to have these
iridescent red-spotted purple or even Monarch Butterflies in your Garden, you need to
put out Fruits! Yes, Butterflies will seek out either fruits or the saps of trees.
Odd! but true. To these beautiful winged fling creatures the fruit juice or the sap from the tree is much more yummy food source that that of the nectar of a flower.
However, this gets even more interesting... What these beauty's like most Like even the
Monarch Butterfly. Is rotten or fermented fruit mostly, but they also like [please don't get creep out] animal droppings, urine and high on their list SWEAT from humans.
Have you ever had a butterfly land on your arm or neck on a very hot summer day. Or
Maybe when you have gone to an Butterfly Sanctuary at a zoo in your area. I know I have
and I have had many I time beautiful butterflies land on my shoulders and neck. It was Awesome here in Seattle at our Butterfly Sanctuary at the Zoo in Seattle.
And they tickling on the skin Yes! Well it did for me and Why? well as they are walking on your arm, neck or shoulders they are dabbing at you sweat for food! Although it may feel to some like an honor to have one of these delicate critters to land on you, It seems that we
humans are nothing more that a source of sustenance! What this means to an butterfly is our sweat is a perfect food source!
You see our winged butterfly friends need their nourishment in liquid
form and these foods fill the bill you could say including our SWEAT!
FEEDING BUTTERFLIES~
In this part of the post I will try to explain how to set-up an feeder and tell you
what kinds of fruits you can used for yur butterflies.
I will also be giving you a few images to different kinds of feeders to help you
the making of you feeders too. I discovered that When You make a feeder for butterflies it
can be actually quite easy for any kinda home where ever you might live. You can make
either your own or buy a variety of different kinds of butterfly feeders at your local
store where they sell feeders for all types of birds, etc.
Either way you decided you're almost guaranteed to see some beautiful butterflies
visit your Garden or Porch.
MAKING YOUR TRAY OF FRUIT/OR BUYING~
As far a making the tray or if you plan on just buying the many different kinds
of butterfly commercial types of feeders there are many ways you can go about it.
I had look at the many different butterfly feeders that you could make yourself
and from what I figured out is - you need some kinda large plastic circular flat tray that is
about 1-3inches in deep. I'm sure you can find something like this at your local store,or
second hand store. You'll need a Electric Drill and heavy string too.
1-Drill three hole evenly around your tray that you found.
2-Put your heavy string through the three hole that you made.. Make sure you make
plenty of extra string at the top to hang your tray on a tree near by.
3-Fruit - Start by offering some overripe bananas , Peel back a few strips of the skin of
the bananas and set them on a plastic plate on your tray that you had made.
You will find that the Butterflies will find them irresistible and they will visit your
homemade butterfly feeder in your yard for weeks until there's nothing but dry
blackened peels of those bananas...
An Monarch Butterfly with very over ripen bananas |
This is how your Homemade Butterfly feeder might look like Hanging from a tree. Could be either 3 to 4 holes |
Note: All fruit won't work! Why? because the butterflies can't pierce the skin of some
of the types of fruits. What to do? Well you just peel them, like the
Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Melons, Pears, Peach's, Apples, and Oranges to
be a few. And these Fruits that I have named with bring the butterflies in Droves.
These are many of the Fruits that I just named above |
from a nearby tree, when these fruits get more mushier and browner they
become even better in the eyes of the Butterflies. Why? Because the natural sugars of
the fruit is even more concentrated...
When these signs of decay in either Peach's, Pears, Apples, Plums or Nectarines happen
it will show that first start of fermentation taking place.
What this means and why Butterflies love they fruit so much at this stage is that the
fruit is boosted up with all its natural sugars and the softens of the flesh of the fruit
makes it much easier for these delicate critters to sip up the juices from the fruit.
Butterflies sipping on the Juices of the fermented Fruit |
Problems with Bees/Wasps and Hornets~
Finally I thought I would cover the problems that some have with
Bees/Wasps and sometimes Hornets. Its nature of course, that these critters love the
sugar from the fruit as well. So what do do? There are a number of things you can do!
1- You might not want to put your Butterfly Feeders near a play area, paths or to close to
your porch area's.
2-You can buy Bee/wasp/Hornet catcher/traps that do work.
3-Another thing that you might have not thought of is other animals that
may live wild in your area such as squirrels, raccoons and possum
Finally just be safe and have Fun...
Here are a few different bought type of butterfly feeders
for you to check-out too.
This one and all the Feeders below are different Kinds of butterfly Feeders that you could find at your local stores |
Happy Butterfly feeder time... YOUR WENDY
"(✿◠‿◠WENDY
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