Almost every gardener who appreciates nature and its wildlife owns a bird feeder or water trough in the garden. Of course, providing food for birds or squirrels is commendable. Unfortunately, insects, especially butterflies, are often forgotten. Or is the cause more in the hesitation about what to serve the butterflies as food. On this page you can read how to offer butterflies a species-appropriate range of food.

Butterflies like it sweet

What do butterflies feed on?

Just like bees and bumblebees, butterflies collect nectar from flowers, which they use as a source of energy. They take in their food via a roll-out proboscis. Since they have no chewing tools, they can only eat liquid food. If you want to feed butterflies, you can also use conventional sugar, as this is similar to flower nectar.

Empty and full flowers

Feed butterflies naturally by planting a colorful flower meadow in the garden. Sterile lawns, on the other hand, offer no sources of nectar. Wildflowers are best, as their blossoms contain the most sugar. The color of the flower, on the other hand, does not matter. On the contrary, many gardeners are often fooled by the blaze of colour. Cultivated flowers shine brightly, but mostly have so-called double flowers. Breeders attach great importance to the optics during production. In doing so, they neglect the nectar content that the flower later produces. Natural wildflowers, on the other hand, have empty flowers that naturally contain a lot of nectar.

Make your own sugar solution

Do you only have a balcony and therefore have little opportunity to plant species on it? Then replace the flower nectar with

  • table sugar (dissolved in water)
  • honey (dissolved in water)
  • or sugary fruit juice

How to make the butterfly food:

  1. heat water
  2. Stir in sugar (ratio 4:1)
  3. Wait for the sugar to dissolve
  4. Let cool down
  5. Dip the sponge in the liquid
  6. Put the butterfly on the sponge

Note: The butterfly will suck the sugar out of the sponge. Bowls or plates are rather unsuitable, as the animals could fall into the liquid or their wings could stick together. If you don't have a sponge handy, dribble a few squirts onto the table.

Actively care for butterflies

You can recognize weakened butterflies by their staggering flight. If you want to feed such an animal, you can touch it carefully. To do this, grab the insect very carefully by the wings with your index finger and thumb.

Category:

Animals in the garden