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Nectar? For me? NO THANKS! |
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Some butterfly species prefer other food than nectar. Viceroy, Red-spotted Purple, Question Mark, Hackberry, Tawny Emperor, Red Admiral, and a few other butterfly species will drink decaying fruit, tree sap, manure, and decaying animals before they will drink nectar from flowers. Some butterfly species enjoy flower nectar and other sources of food as well. So how can we add some of these items to our gardens without adding a cow patty or road kill? |
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apple or use an apple core. Simple push a wire through the center of the apple and hang in your garden. When this apple was hung in a garden, this Viceroy visited it in less than 30 minutes. |
Red Admiral butterfly. A bird suet feeder packed with fruit doubles as a butterfly fruit feeder. Simple suet feeders sell as low as $2 at discount stores. |
to create a fruit stand with a 'moat' ants can't cross! A banana becomes a meal for an American Painted Lady. |
trees, other plants produce fruit which we don't recognize as fruit, such as this poisionous lantana seed covering a Buckeye is enjoying. |
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many meals for this Tawny Emperor butterfly. |
a rotting maggot. This photograph also caught the butterfly peeing. |
dead animals to our gardens. Dog and cat food is a good substitute. The food should be protected from ants. |
to this Gulf Fritillary. |
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composted cow manure provides food for plants as well as food for butterflies! Two Cloudless Sulphur butterflies are enjoying their meal. |
also enjoy compost made with cow manure. |
from soil, drinking in salts and nutrients. This Gulf Fritillary is drinking either manure or salts from the door mat. |
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