I’ve been watching a flurry of butterflies visit my yard this year and have enjoyed seeing them gently rest on flower heads while they feed on the nectar. They devour the sticky treat that provides them with the energy to fly and reproduce.
While there are many plants that will encourage butterflies into your yard, you can also entice these beautiful pollinators in by making your own nectar. And what’s more, it’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried it before.
By taking a few quick and easy steps, you can support the important role that butterflies play in our ecosystem.
How to make butterfly nectar
Follow these 5 quick steps and watch the butterflies flock into your yard.
1. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water.
2. Heat the mixture in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.
3. Leave the syrup to cool for 30 minutes.
4. Take a saucer or shallow dish, and place a brightly colored sponge in its base. Then, pour the syrup over the sponge.
5. Finally, place the dish near some flowers and watch the butterflies flutter in to feed.
The key to encouraging butterflies to feed on your homemade nectar is to place it close to scented flowers, as butterflies will find the food by scent rather than sight. Placing the butterfly nectar on a colorful sponge will also help them zoom in.
You could also mount the food on a post, to prevent ants from sharing the feast, or purchase a butterfly feeder designed for the job.
Butterflies can still be enticed into small gardens
You can still attract butterflies into your outdoor space even if you have a small garden, as long as it’s big enough to contain a few plants. The Butterfly Conservation states, “Butterflies will visit any garden, however small, if they can feed on suitable nectar plants.”
So, as long as you have a few blooms to attract them in to begin with, butterflies will enjoy your homemade nectar.
From my own experience, I know that butterflies love Buddleia, and it’s no coincidence that it’s also known as the Butterfly Bush, as it’s highly attractive to butterflies and other pollinators and insects. But, if your yard is small, and you don’t have the space for a large shrub, such as Buddleia, you could plant lavender or marjoram in containers.
Monarch butterflies in particular like milkweed — it's the only thing they'll eat.
The best time for butterflies to feed
Spring flowers will help butterflies replenish their depleted reserves after hibernation, while fall flowers will help them build them back up again before hibernation.
So, if you want to help the ecosystem and watch the butterflies feed, make sure to place some butterfly nectar in you yard between spring and fall.
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