Butterfly Puddle – Building

Butterflies love the nectar from flowering plants but they also need minerals and salts for their diet. One of the easiest way to give them what they need is to build a butterfly puddle.

Purchase a shallow plastic or clay plant saucer at least sixteen inches wide. Fill with coarse sand. Mix in a tablespoon of composted chicken manure or mushroom compost. Wet the sand until it is completely soggy. Place on a short stand (an overturned clay pot will do) near your flower garden.

Small stones can be used to line the edge of the container for decoration. Keep the sand soggy for the rest of the summer.

As an added attractant, place a much smaller saucer on the sand along one edge of the larger saucer and put sliced fruit in it. Banana, apple, pear and orange slices will bring dozens of butterflies to feed. Don’t replace the fruit regularly – butterflies prefer it slightly fermented.