Make your own cheap butterfly feeder



As the days are getting longer (happy first day of summer) it is actually starting to get a little warmer even here in the Pacific Northwest so decided it would be a good time to add our homemade butterfly feeder to our butterfly garden, but first we actually had to make it.

If you want to make your own here is all you need:

– Plastic/glass container (baby jar, water bottle, etc)

– Nail

– Pliers

– Lighter (not pictured)

– Cotton or sponge

Steps to have your own buttery feeder in your garden:

1. Heat up nail with lighter (or candle) using pliers to avoid pain on your fingers.

2. Use hot nail to burn a hole through the plastic.

3. Stuff some cotton (swab, ball, shirt) or a piece of sponge in the hole and tight as possible.

4. Decorate with markers (make sure to have some red) plastic flowers etc (Optional but funnier for the kids)

5. Fill with some butterfly nectar (recipe below) and hang by some of your colorful flowers

Butterfly/Hummingbird Nectar
Ingredients:
ΒΌ cup of sugar
1 cup of water
3 drops of red food coloring [optional]

Directions:
Add sugar and water to water bottle and shake. If you are using raw organic sugar bring water to boil and mix in sugar. Butterfly nectar is good for 2-3 weeks and water in feeder should be replaced a 3-4 days.

Does this all seem like too much work? Well you can also simply place over ripened fruit (bananas, apples, peaches, orange slices, etc) on a plate and your butterflies will love it.
Read Other Butterfly Garden Posts

8 Responses to “Make your own cheap butterfly feeder”

  1. Barbee' Says:

    How clever! Thank you.


  2. Aunt Debbi/kurts mom Says:

    Great idea.


  3. Nancy J. Bond Says:

    How inventive!


  4. Lets Plant Says:

    Great idea. Especially for the kids.


  5. Robj98168 Says:

    Cool! I never thought about feeding butterflys!


  6. The Cheap Vegetable Gardener Says:

    Glad you all enjoyed the project the girls and I had a good time putting it together.


  7. Adreona Says:

    I was looking for ideas and this was a great idea! I’m 12 years old and I didn’t have pliers and it didn’t burn my hands when I got the nail hot. I was making a butterfly feeder for my hideout I have and I hope it will work!(: Where are you supposed to put it at though? In a shady or sunny place? That’s the only thing I was looking for!(: Other than that, it was a GREAT idea!(: Oh, and I didn’t have a small bottle or anything so I just used VERY tiny plastic cups and tin foil. Will that work?!(:


  8. Planning a butterfly garden - The Cheap Vegetable Gardener Says:

    […] zinnias, and nasturtiums, Lavender, Daisies (as well), and Mint. We are also planning on creating a butterfly feeder by taking a small jar and drilling a hole in the top. Put some cotton snuggly in the hole and fill […]


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