Almost every gardener who appreciates nature and its wildlife has a bird feeder or waterer in their garden. Of course, it is commendable to provide food for birds or squirrels. Unfortunately, insects, especially butterflies, are often forgotten. Or is the cause more due to the indecision about what to serve as food for the butterflies. Read on this page how you can provide butterflies with species-appropriate food.
How to feed butterflies?
To feed butterflies, plant wildflowers in your garden or offer them a sugar solution made from table sugar, honey, or sugary fruit juice. To do this, use a sponge that the butterflies can land on and absorb the liquid.
What do butterflies feed on?
Just like bees and bumblebees, butterflies collect flower nectar, 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 it is similar to flower nectar.
Empty and full flowers
Feed butterflies naturally by planting a colorful meadow of flowers in the garden. Sterile lawns, on the other hand, do not provide any sources of nectar. Wildflowers are best because their flowers contain the most sugar. The color of the flower, however, does not matter. On the contrary, many gardeners are often deceived by the blaze of color. Although cultivated flowers are brightly colored, they usually have so-called double flowers. Breeders place increased emphasis on appearance 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 one balcony and therefore have little opportunity to plant it in a variety of species? 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 (€14.00 on Amazon):
- Heating water
- Stir in sugar (4:1 ratio)
- Wait for the sugar to dissolve
- Let it cool down
- Dip sponge into the liquid
- 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 get stuck. If you don't have a sponge at hand, drizzle a few squirts onto the table.
Providing active care for butterflies
Weakened butterflies can be recognized by their tumbling flight. If you would like to nurture such an animal, please feel free to handle it carefully. To do this, grab the insect very carefully by the wings with your index finger and thumb.
