Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 26, 1 by debnes_dfw_tx

debnes_dfw_tx wrote:
...I hear you Sheila with concern for the butterflies in freezing weather.. it is well warranted. Besides predators it is their final frontier of dangers to face. Some of them are fortunate enough to sense lowering temperatures and find a crack in a tree or some other structure. Then others will find loose mounds of dried grasses and plant material to sleep in until the sun comes out. The actual temperature that stills a butterfly is at or about 40 degrees. If freezing weather lets up and they can find some sun, they are good to go for another day.
Then there are the fruit feasters that seem to brave the cooler temps by their diet. The alcohol from fermented fruit and any sun they collect can keep them going all winter in our zone. Still in all it is the fittest that survive, and that is a very low number.

Elaine~ I kept one hummer feeder out all winter last year and didn't see any hummers here. To my delight I did discover that hummers aren't the only ones who love sugar water... The Warblers and Kinglets came to live in my back yard and kept me entertained and amazed until butterflies and hummers returned. I was fishing for hummers, and got so much more.
I've always been a birder, even as long as I've been butterflying, and discovering some of these little things has squelched the missing the numbers of butterflies or hummers as much as it would without seeing what the winter months had to offer.

This is how I set up some things to invite other wingers to keep myself in awe. Notice the feeder part with the flower holes is taken off of this feeder so that shorter beaks could drink from it. Some very small and precious little birdies found this thing and drank from it, and ate the insect suet all winter last year.

Its supposed to reach 79 degrees today... I am kinda hoping to have some butterfly sightings to post. :-)