The red admirals were soon accompanied by mourning cloaks. I hadn’t seen one before I opened my butterfly bar, and suddenly they appeared. My first and the most enthusiastic customers were red admirals. Which butterflies does the butterfly feeder attract? I added a sponge into the jar because it makes it easier for butterflies to drink the nectar. In case you are wondering about the ratios, my feeding jar took maybe 1/4 liter of wine, one hundred grams of brown sugar, and a few grams of yeast. I mixed a lot of brown sugar and a tiny drop of yeast together with the wine. They say that you should use cheap wine for this, but firstly, there is no such thing in Finland, and secondly, I want to serve the best for my customers, so why not decent organic Syrah and Tempranillo. The only wine I had was Vappu Organic Red. I was planning to make a knotted hanging jar or macrame jar, but this turned out to be the perfect size for my DIY butterfly feeder. I took an old candle jar because it had a handle already attached to it. I got so into this butterfly bar business that I think I will expand my bar next summer with more jars and more flowers that butterflies love. Some are attracted to my butterfly feeding jar, while some prefer to hang out in some flowers in the garden. I have learned that butterflies like different things. I feel like a bartender, serving wine for my customers. In Finnish, this kind of butterfly feeder is called perhosbaari, a butterfly bar, which I find to be an awesome name for it. If you found it useful, you may also like Butterfly Gardening: How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden which focuses on microclimates that you can create within your garden and what plants you should grow to attract butterflies.DIY butterfly feeder has been my biggest joy this summer as I have been testing ways to attract butterflies into my garden. This article on butterfly food is Part Two of our Butterfly Gardening series. “Red or orange sponges with sugar solution may be suspended from branches as artificial nectar sources when there are few flowers.” Sponge Nectar Feeders:Īnd one more simple nectar feeding idea, from Central Texas Butterfly Gardening by the University of Texas: Rinse thoroughly before refilling with butterfly nectar. – Invert the jar and hang it close to your flowers.Īs with homemade hummingbird food, you will need to clean your feeder every few days, with hot water and a mild (10%) bleach solution to inhibit mold. – Make a macrame style hanger from household twine. – Plug the hole with sponge, cotton, a length of candlewicking or other absorbent material – you want this material to become saturated with nectar but not to drip, so make sure it plugs the hole tightly. – Another decorative idea is to glue plastic or silk flowers to the outside of your jar. – Alternatively, decorate the outside of the jar with waterproof paint (simple, bold flower shapes would be ideal) then finish with clear sealer. – If you wish, insert a colored kitchen scouring pad to provide an alluring spash of color to attract the butterflies. – Punch a small hole in the jar lid with an awl or a hammer and small nail. – Optional decorations: yellow, orange or red plastic scouring pads paint that will adhere to glass and sealer, or silk or plastic flowers – homemade butterfly nectar (4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boiled and cooled) – a piece of cotton or other clean absorbent material – a small glass jar with a lid that seals well
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