Build Your Own Butterfly Feeder

Who doesn’t love the sight of butterflies delicately fluttering about the garden? Many gardeners plant colorful flowers to attract butterflies, but few put out butterfly feeders—perhaps because they don’t know how easy it is to create a simple feeder that butterflies love. With only a few common household tools and materials that are available at your local grocery and/or hardware store, you can build a feeder that will attract butterflies of all types.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Plastic champagne glass
• Wooden dowel, 1/2” thick and at least 4’ long
• Plastic dishwashing scrubber (a bright color will work best)
• Length of clear plastic tubing, 1/2” in diameter

Building the feeder

"Champagne Cup" butterfly feeder

Cut the dowel to the desired length—about 4 feet will do. Cut off 2” of the plastic tubing and insert the dowel 1” into one end.

Take off the bottom of the plastic champagne glass so that you only have the top part (the cup) with the beginning of the stem attached. Insert the stem into the other end of the plastic tubing. Place the plastic sponge into the champagne bowl and fill it with butterfly nectar. And there you have it—your very own butterfly feeder! Place it in the flower garden where you can see it and you’ll soon be rewarded with flocks of butterflies.

Caring for your feeder

• Fill the feeder to the top with a solution of 10% sugar to 90% water—or use hummingbird food.
• Place the feeder in the sun.
• Grease the dowel with petroleum jelly or Pam to discourage ants from feeding.
• Change the solution every 2 days to prevent bacteria from growing.
• Clean the feeder with hot water only—do not use soap.

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