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Fast, Free Butterfly Baths

posted by Annie B. Bond Jul 9, 2005 7:33 pm
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Adapted from Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, and More--For the Garden, by Yankee Magazine (Rodale Press, 2006).

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.

More on Nature & Wildlife (55 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3188 articles available)

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Delores Page

I have yet to see any butterflies using the tall "Buttefly homes" so popular the last few years...........scam, or does it work?..

To help them cling to somethng I added long strips of cedar bark.....what do you think?

Kelly D.

this is great! i was just at the new butterfly exhibit at the academy of natural sciences in philadelphia last week and it would be amazing to bring some of its beauty to my own home! thanks!

Pati P.
  • Pati P. says
  • Sep 12, 2007 9:03 AM

These are all great ideas but please remember to change the water daily to prevent mosquito larva from hatching!

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