My DH found a woodworking site for 'butterfly houses' and made me one for my garden. I am getting ready to put it outside. I want to knwo if anyone else has ever used a butterfly house -and if so, do the butterflys really use it to lay larva? the site where he got the plans said that monarch butterflys will use it. I'm just curious if anyone else has any experience with them.
Also, is there a good spot vs bad spot in the garden for it? sun/shade/wind direction, etc.
Thanks!
Anjl
Do butterflys really use butterfly 'houses'?
No. But predators like wasps, spiders, lizards, assassin bugs etc. will use it. I don't actually have one but have never heard or read of anyone ever seeing one being used. I've never seen a butterfly daring enough to crawl into a slot anywhere else either. lol
...oh, but they are cute and make nice garden art!
This message was edited Feb 24, 2008 9:29 PM
Sorry to burst your dreams, but Butterflies rarely use these cute fabricated houses. I have one, too! It makes a nice garden prop! I do find that the lizards and walking-stick bugs use it though! :-)
See, it's so cute! I'll get one myself if it will attract Walking Sticks! Becky, your garden is so GREEN! I spent the day out digging and cutting down brown stuff, getting ready for my green!
hmmm, maybe I'll just paint this one then, and use it as art. My DH will be more discouraged than I will. I do have milkweed growing, and I know monarchs use it for larvae, just hadnt heard anything about the butterfly houses.
The fact that your DH made it for you makes it perfect garden art! Let us see it when you finish it.
I guess I could just put it out there and see what happens. I found a couple more nature sites that say to put a piece of bark inside the house for the larvae. Just wasnt sure if anyone else had tried this, and if anyone had any luck. If there is a better spot for the house like sun, or near the pind etc that would make it more likely to be used....guess I'll wait and see.
DH also built a bunch of bird houses, soI need to go look up and see where those should be placed as well :) He must have been bored during the last rain storm :o)
Like everyone else has already said...nope they won't use it...but some of them are pretty creative and a lovely addition to the garden...if only for decoration purposes.
Just watch out for wasps - I've found way too many inside my birdhouses and other garden decorations.
It really is nice that your DH made one for you...now talk him into making a nice butterfly bait station for you. Butterflies from the brushfoot family will be your first dinner guests!
Am at work amusing myself a bit before I clock in at noon - so am unable to post photos but perhaps Becky, Deb or other butterflies who have bait stations will see this again and add their photos and links. If not, when I get home tonight I'll add photos and the butterfly brew recipe.
~ Cat
photos would be great. He can build me anything with a photo :) plus it keeps him busy so he doesnt complain how much time I spend in the garden or on this website ! LOL
This is the quick and easy way to make a bait station. Just get a log and screw some eye screws into each side and thread a wire through them to hang it from a tree. Make sure to cut out a shallow groove along the top or cut several grooves so the bait mixture will pool or puddle into them.
The bait recipe is very easy to make. Please take a look at Debnes' webpage about the brew. She has excellent step by step instructions with photos!!!
~ Cat
ooops.....I forgot to add the link to Debnes' page - doh!!!
http://www.theletteroflove.com/wallpaper/index.php?paged=4
This message was edited Feb 27, 2008 10:27 AM
The log above is a no brainer. Perhaps your DH can get more creative and make a nice wooden stand or decorative tray that you can set a bowl into as this type of feeder photo. I used a simple wire pot stand and set this of decorative plastic rocks. You can pour on a bit of water, salty water, fish emulsion or bait for the butterflies to use as well.
~ Cat
This message was edited Feb 26, 2008 9:35 PM
these are sooo cool! does the bait bother the birds at all? I know he can come up with something to make, probably out of the leftover redwood from my potting bench... I've never even heard of these before. I'll go check out the recipe thread for the bait.
I think I will take all your suggestions and put a mesh cover on the inside of the now "decorative" butterfly house :) we do get wasps here, and I wouldnt want to open it and find a nest!
Thanks for all your help! I'm sure you'll be hearing from me alot more during the season, I'll probably have alot more 'dumb newbie' questions to annoy you all with :o) LOL!
Anjl
where do I find debnes webpage?
Go to the sticky thread. This is the post:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3702364
Deb's website is the 2nd link. (letteroflove)
BE SURE TO VENT THE BREW!!!!
This message was edited Feb 27, 2008 1:21 AM
okay, one more dumb question.... does it work for monarchs?
Cat, in your post above http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4594154 the red stuff in the shallow dish is plastic rock? It looks like cherry Jello!
So you could use some type of inert material to take up space and add a bit of diluted "mineral juice," for lack of a better word? I didn't know some bf's would be attracted to fish emulsion, though I have seen them on cement washed areas in construction zones. Guess minerals are minerals!
Oneanjl, I don't think Monarchs use the brew, but I'm not 100% sure, someone will know the answer!
Cathy
Cathy - yes it does look like jello :o) but it's plastic stones - those used in glass vases for decoration. I put them in there so the butterflies would have something to perch on.
Pretty much any type of salty stuff or mineral will attract some butterflies. Just think of all the butterflies that like to puddle on mud and small water puddles...or even scat! We get Sailors, Brown Banded Skippers, Sickle-winged Skippers, Bordered Patches, Rearkirt's Blues and Sulphurs on scat at the ranch. They even go for fresh cow patties. YUCK!
Monarchs are not known to come to the brew. The majority of butterflies that will eat from it are those of the brushfoot family. Here's a list of some that I know have come to it. Red Admiral, Mexican Bluewing, Common Mestra, Snout, Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor, Empress Leilia, Blomfild's Beauty, Common Banner, Pavon Emperor, Silver Emperor, Question Mark, Malachite, California Sister, Band-celled Sister, Red Rim, Gray Cracker, Guatemalen Cracker, Goatweed Leafwing, Tropical Leafwing, Pale-spotted Leafwing, Carolina Satyr, Gemmed Satyr, One-Spotted Prepona.
You might also get some Sulphurs, Gulf Fritillaries and other butterflies - there's really no telling what butterfly will like the stuff :o)
You'll also get some ant, bees and wasps...but the butterflies aren't bothered by them. One way to reduce the bees and wasps is to use a plastic scrubbie. Pour a little bit of bait into a small bowl and set the plastic scrubbie on it. The butterflies will be able to reach through the plastic mesh to reach the brew but the bees and wasps won't.
Oh..and you'll also get some moths coming to it at night. I get Black Witches all the time on it as well as lots of smaller moths and micro moths.
And just to show how crazy some butterflies can get...here's a Southern Dogface on a box of fertilizer that got wet and leeched through the carton.
~ Cat
This message was edited Feb 28, 2008 12:03 AM
Thanks Cat, you are wealth of information!
Off to check the pics on the "bait thread!"
Cathy
What great information! I added the butterfly brew to my favorites so that I will be able to find it when it gets warmer here.
ps...I added a separate post of butterflies on butterfly brew, scat, mud and puddling - there are a lot more butterflies that frequent brew and areas where minerals and salt come up to the top of the soil after a rain...I just haven't gotten around to photographing them...because it rarely rains out here :o(
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/818163/
~ Cat
thank you all so much, this is wonderful info!