
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fast-free-butterfly-baths.html
Fast, Free Butterfly Baths
Butterflies are drawn to water, but only if they can wade and flit in just the shallowest of shallows. (Ever notice gatherings of butterflies on the puddles along a creek or stream?) They are also are drawn to a particular nutrient found in soils.
Here’s how to provide butterflies a butterfly spa that they love so that they flock to your garden, deck, or balcony:
Make a Butterfly Landing Pad
Recycle an old Frisbee. Add marbles to the bottom for weight and landing pads (or a flat stone, a brick, or something organic and heavy that you have handy).
Sink a broken cup into the ground or into a large pot of plants on your deck or balcony. Cut up a sponge to fit into the cup or stuff in a well-rinsed net shower scrubber. Keep the cup filled with water.
Fill an old pizza or jelly roll pan with water to provide a shallow puddle on a sunny day. Line the pan with a cotton tea towel or paper towels.
Make it “For Butterflies Only”
Another way to attract butterflies is to make a small butterfly spa using a large plate, an old baking dish, or a shallow ceramic bowl. Sink the dish into the ground (preferably in a flowerbed, which is attractive as well as convenient–no mowing around it) and fill it with sand, which has absorbed or contains the salts and nutrients butterflies love. Or just toss a shovelful of dirt into the container. Wet the sand or dirt thoroughly and make sure it stays constantly damp.
Make a Butterfly Buffet
A platform feeder meant for birds works nicely for giving butterflies a buffet of bananas, watermelon, or apples. Change the fruit every day or two to keep the display presentable, although the butterflies won’t mind and would probably prefer rotting material. Swallowtails, painted ladies, and fritillaries are the most likely to visit a fruit station such as this.
Adapted from Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, and More–For the Garden, by Yankee Magazine (Rodale Press, 2006).



Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
33 comments
add your comment »Love the ideas, and have already had some success!Thanks so much for this wonderful article, even my daughter has taken such delight with the success!
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I have butterfly friendly plants in my backyard and do have monarchs breed and have made coccoons on my screen and bushes. I've had the pleasure of watching the whole process and hope to keep doing that with the many butterflies I can attract.
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Thankyou for all the ideas for butterflies. I get a lot in my area. I have lots of flowerbed and will try your ideas to keep the butterflies coming.
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Certainly a perfect idea!!!
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have a look at my butterfly fairy garden on my profile album. all comment and new friends welcome
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Thank you for this very great & useful article :-)
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It's nice to visualize fluttering butterflies bathing together by the flowers during a snowy winter's day. Thank you. Spring's around the corner... Kinda...
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Thanks for the info on butterflies! I am going to try some of these things you mentioned. now its winter, I will have to wait until spring! living in this desert i really dont see many butterflies and i just love them. they are so beautiful,Thanks again Jane Morrison
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Awesome idea! I live in an area with many yellow swallowtails and northern whites, and they are so beautiful. Sometimes they come to the hummingbird feeder, but now they can have a place of their own.
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This is a wonderful idea, and one I never knew about. I love butterflies and have a great video of one I'd like to share, if I only knew how. Definitely will try this idea. Thanks and God bless you.
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