Use homemade butterfly nectar to attract butterflies to any area of your yard that you wish. To make butterfly nectar, you need granulated sugar, water, a pot, a long spoon and your stove.Know More
Gather 4 cups of water, 1 cup of granulated sugar, a pot and a long spoon near your stove top.
Mix the water and granulated sugar in a pot, and stir it thoroughly.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and allow it to boil until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove the mixture from the heat when the sugar is dissolved.
Serve the nectar to the butterflies. Soak a paper towel, or bright orange or yellow kitchen sponge, with the nectar. Place the towel or sponge in a shallow dish, and place the dish outside. Place the dish of nectar 4 or 5 inches higher than the tallest blooms of any nectar flowers you have planted. Alternatively, use the nectar to fill any butterfly feeders that you have hanging in your garden.
Store unused nectar in a covered container in the refrigerator. Stored nectar can stay fresh for up to seven days.
A butterfly's wingspan can range from a 1/2 inch to 1 foot in length from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. The blue pygmy butterfly, which is native to California, is the smallest species, while the Queen Alexandra's birdwing is the largest.Full Answer >
Monarch butterfly larvae feed on milkweed and a few closely related plants, whereas adults forage for nectar. Although both larvae and adults are toxic and bad-tasting due to the presence of stored cardiac glycosides in their bodies, they are still preyed upon by birds, mice and praying mantises.Full Answer >
The adult hummingbird moth feeds on nectar from flowers, preferring plants such as thistles, red clover, wild roses, Japanese honeysuckle, bee balm, lilac, blackberry, cherry and blueberry. Gardeners can grow these plants in their yards to attract hummingbird moths ranging nearby. Their habitats span Alaska and the Northwest Territories, British Columbia to Oregon, the Great Plains and the Great Lakes, and areas near Texas and Florida.Full Answer >
Some adaptations of butterflies include wing colorings that mimic the colorings of toxic species, clear membranes that allow butterflies to fly even after the scales of their wings have been rubbed off. Butterflies also move to shaded areas when the temperature is hot.Full Answer >