creative homemade butterfly feeder ideas
Creative Homemade Butterfly Feeder Ideas
Besides their beauty, butterflies are also important to the growth of outdoor gardens as they help to pollinate flowers. Therefore, it is a good idea to create some homemade butterfly feeders, which will not only attract butterflies to your backyard, but also serve as attractive garden ornaments.
Butterfly Feeder Nectar Recipes
Method 1: A sugar-water mixture is one of the most commonly used nectar substitutes. One simply has to boil and dissolve sugar in water, in a 1:4 ratio, to create the nectar. Once the mixture has cooled, it can be poured into the feeders in small amounts. You can also add tiny amounts of red food coloring to the mix to attract more butterflies.
Method 2: An alternative food mixture is to mix a paste of overripe bananas with an equal amount of brown sugar. However, for even better results, add a bottle of strong beer to the banana mixture, and let it ferment for a few days before offering it to the butterflies. Other fruits such as papayas and apples can also be used (the more overripe/rotten the better). Although some people use only pieces of fruit in their feeders, this is not as effective as the fermented versions.
Both recipes can be refrigerated and stored for many days. Besides, the nectar recipes can also be used for hummingbird feeders. So, what are you waiting for? Go, create a butterfly-friendly garden of your own.