Besides bringing a magical beauty to any garden, butterflies help promote growth by pollinating flowers. You can attract butterflies to your yard with these simple DIY butterfly feeders that also serve as attractive garden ornaments.
Mother Nature would definitely approve of these butterfly feeder DIYs. See a video for step-by-step instructions and read this guide to learn how to make two feeder variations that will attract butterflies.
How to Make a DIY Butterfly Feeder With a Plate
Things You’ll Need
- Acrylic plate
- 10″-14″ wire plate holder
- String
- 1/2″ metal washer
- Glass beads
- Silk flowers and leaves
- Hot glue gun
- Sugar
- Water
- Sponge
- Wire
1. Attach plate holder to plate
Attach a wire plate holder to the back of an acrylic plate. You can find plate holders at hardware stores, arts and crafts stores, and home decor stores. Cut four pieces of string about 24 inches long, and tie the ends to the prongs gripping the edge of the plate. These four strings will suspend the DIY butterfly feeder on the tree.
2. Add glass beads to strings
At random points along the four strings, thread some glass beads and secure them with knots on either side. These beads will help catch the light to attract butterflies to the DIY feeder.
Tip
Bright colors attract butterflies, so consider beads that are vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple.
3. Tie strings to washer
Take the four strings and tie them together around a 1/2-inch metal washer. This washer will be used later for hanging the feeder on a tree.
4. Add flowers to strings
Using a hot glue gun, attach brightly colored silk flowers to the strings at various points to help attract butterflies.
5. Make butterfly food
Make your own butterfly food by mixing 10 parts water with one part sugar. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, and allow it to cool.
Warning
Be careful not to add too much sugar to the butterfly food mixture. A higher concentration of sugar can dehydrate the butterflies.
6. Hang the feeder
In the center of the plate, place a sponge on some silk leaves. Spoon some of the sugar-water mixture onto the sponge until it is saturated but not overflowing. The soaked sponge allows for a continuous flow of the sugary solution, making it easy for butterflies to suck down their fill.
Hang the DIY butterfly feeder from a tree branch using wire connected to the washer. Check the feeder regularly to make sure there is plenty of sugar water in the sponge.
Tip
If you have problems with ants, apply some petroleum jelly to the rim of the plate or jar to create a barrier they will avoid. If you have trouble with wasps, add slices of cucumber to the plate or on top of the jar. Cucumbers are a natural wasp repellant and can also work to repel ants.
How to Make a DIY Butterfly Feeder With a Jar
Things You’ll Need
- Glass jar
- Hammer
- Nail
- String
- 1/2″ metal washer
- Glass beads
- Silk flowers
- Hot glue
- Sugar
- Water
- Wire
