By June at the latest, butterflies will bring color back into the garden with their brightly colored wings. In addition, the filigree insects prove to be useful pollinators for your flowers. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the animals would settle permanently in your garden? With your own insect hotel, which is specially tailored to the needs of the butterflies, you can do this very easily. Here's how.

Butterflies like soft branches

What makes a butterfly tray different from a traditional nest box?

You can integrate a butterfly compartment in a complex insect hotel (€11.33) as well as a shelter for bees or ladybugs. In contrast to the open entrances, however, butterflies prefer small slits in the wood, which have the following properties:

  • about 3 to 6 slots
  • different widths from 2 to 3 cm

Set up a compartment for butterflies in the insect hotel

The filling material of your insect hotel is particularly important if you want the butterflies to feel comfortable in your garden.

  • Thin branches are ideal.
  • These store heat and offer a place to settle down.
  • Choose fresh, still pliable branches for filling.
  • The branches should have a diameter of 5 mm.

Common species

  • The peacock butterfly
  • The little fox
  • The admiral
  • The Painted Lady
  • The Brimstone Butterfly

What else attracts butterflies

At the latest when they build their own insect hotel, many people realize that every animal and every plant has an important role in a functioning ecosystem. Even if stinging nettles cause painful skin irritation and cannot compete with other plants in terms of appearance, you should not destroy them. They are an important food source for butterflies. Insects also love the scent of summer lilac (Buddleja davidii). You are also doing the butterflies a big favor by collecting caterpillars that you dig up while gardening and placing them near the insect hotel.

tips

Create a hedge near the insect hotel. Butterflies prefer sheltered places. You can also use the trimmings to fill the butterfly compartment.

Category:

Animals in the garden