Butterfly Boudoir

• Butterflies are voracious pollinators of plants.
• Butterflies are safe around Children & Pets
• Butterfly numbers decline year on year and need encouraging into new habitats.

Because Butterflies are virtually dependent on plants they are particularly susceptible to change in the local environment. Erosion of their natural habitats through instances such as the shift in modern farming practises, has impacted greatly on them, so it has become essential to create new habitats in which they can thrive.

We can all do this in our own gardens by firstly leaving a corner to ‘go wild’ and secondly growing plants rich in nectar, the vital foodstuff of the butterfly. Perfect plants for this are alyssum, budleia, phlox and wallflowers. Butterflies also need ideal plants on which to lay eggs, so in our ‘wild area’ we need to leave, what are traditionally considered to be weeds, such as nettles and dandelions. Although Butterflies are associated almost entirely with feeding on nectar they will also feed on items as diverse as rotten fruit to animal faeces – we don’t recommend using this as an attractant on your feeder.

The Growing Success Butterfly feeder has been designed, simply put, to attract butterflies into the garden. The colour has been scientifically proved to be of the greatest attraction, and by mixing up a small amount of sugar with water and applying it to the sponge shelf, the attractiveness of the feeder is increased. Once in your garden the Butterflies will explore the plants there and you will find that if they are to their liking, they will stay.

The feeder should be hung far enough away from accommodation so that any wasps attracted do not keep entering your home, but close enough for you to enjoy observing the butterflies. It is a good idea to hang the feeder in a sheltered place that is exposed to the sun in the late afternoon and evening (although Butterflies like the sun they need shade when the sun is at its hottest).

We have also developed a Lodge for Butterflies to inhabit. The 'Boudoir' should be sited about three feet above the ground in a sheltered position that is exposed to sun in late afternoon/early evening - although Butterflies like sunny conditions they avoid the intense heat of mid-day. The entry holes should be facing away from the prevailing weather conditions with the dowling rod (supplied with the box) left inside as a 'perch' for the occupants. You will find that many butterflies will use the lodge as a 'roost' during the warmer months of the year and several species may well over winter in it.