Butterfly Food

Provide Butterfly Food - How?

Providing butterfly food is easier than we might think. 

Putting out a butterfly feeder is a simple but effective 
way to attract Butterflies into our garden.

Having a nectar feeder in the garden will ensure food is available during Springtime and late Summer, helping butterflies through what might be difficult times to find food.

If possible situating two nectar feeders a reasonable distance apart in the garden will help catch their attention and also help them become aware of the other sources of food in our garden.

We can also provide this food by having in our garden the plants that supply the food Butterflies like. When Butterflies are in our garden other species will follow.

Grow Flowers That Attract Butterflies

Flower beds full of nectar rich flowers that attract 
butterflies have been described as Nectar Bars.

If we were to contrast a nectar feeder to a snack bar, then a bed full of nectar rich flowers could be compared to a Classy Cafe. 

In our garden we made two raised beds to use for this purpose. 

We complement these with larger bushes in other beds as well 
as having gardening containers placed nearby.

Creating a butterfly garden can be as easy as buying a few packets of seeds of flowers that attract butterflies and sowing them in situe or in seed trays and then transplanting them to where we want them. These can be bought in packs now.

Keep it simple when deciding what seeds and plants to use, choose easy growers and have a mixture of perennials and annuals.
      
Perennials returning each year will help establish the border 
while annuals provide variety and can help extend the season 
in providing butterfly food. 

Annuals can also be used to fill spaces in the nectar bar 
and to liven up any containers that are looking a bit drab. 

Plants That Attract Butterflies

There is also the option of purchasing nectar producing Wildflower Plug plants that attract Butterflies, such as:

Basil, Birds foot Trefoil, Coltsfoot, Figwort, Ladys Bedstraw, Lesser Knapweed, Maiden Pink, Marjoram, Oxeye Daisy, Small Scabious, Sorrel and Wild Clary.
 
Usually these wildflower plants will have been grown from native seed in peat free compost and then supplied as plug plants with established root stock ready for planting.

Butterfly Garden

By starting off with the above simple approach we can find our feet and then progress to the level of expertise we have the time, space and inclination for, which can include creating habitats to encourage butterflies to breed in. 

There is a man in the Uk who has a real passion for butterflies and has the resources to create a 100 acre butterfly garden.

He creates the right habitat for different species of butterfly
along with providing plants and flowers that attract butterflies.

He also provides the plants they like to lay their eggs on 
and what the caterpillars will feed off when they hatch.

He observed that by focusing on providing the right habitats 
for butterflies other wildlife has also benefited, such as bees, hoverflies, birds and dragonflies and the list goes on.

We can replicate this by using a patch in our garden to attract butterflies. Purchasing butterfly kits that are designed for this purpose can make it easier for us to achieve this.

Simple Steps To Attract Butterflies: 

Buy a butterfly book and a caterpillar book, hang up a nectar feeder, sow a mixture of wildflower seeds, plant wildflower plant plugs, then repeat where gaps appear. 

Then be sure to enjoy the spectacle!

Butterfly food will attract not only butterflies but also a 
wide variety of other wildlife to your wildlife friendly garden