Bananas For Butterflies
Use dishes of rotting bananas or sugar water to lure butterflies into the open.
By Lynn Coulter
So visitors can see them more easily, some zoo- or garden-based butterfly exhibits use dishes of rotting bananas or sugar water to lure butterflies into the open.
You could do the same thing, but rotting fruit and sugared water will attract ants, too, and remember: No pesticides around butterflies.
You could also give butterflies a place where they can “puddle,” which occurs when they land near a stream or mud puddle, and sip salts and minerals from the soil. You can make a puddle by placing sand in a saucer, moistening it with the hose, and adding a pinch or two of salt or a little liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks. Keep the sand damp, but don’t let water stand in the bowl.
