Easy Butterfly Feeder

This butterfly feeder is easy for kids to make and looks great hanging from a tree. All you need is a plastic planter, some string, and butterfly food and you're ready to do some butterfly watching.

At a recent trip to the zoo, we went into the butterfly garden. The kids were fascinated by the butterfly feeders there.

I knew they would be easy to make at home. We started with a plastic plant saucer (bigger is better as far as my kids are concerned). We punched some holes in the rim and attached yarn. (We may also punch some holes in the bottom to drain rainwater.)

To decorate our feeder, we strung some beads onto the yarn. I wrapped a piece of tape around the end to prevent fraying. In hindsight, I would use some wire so it's less likely to tip.

For our butterfly food, we cut up some fruit that was staring to go bad.

We hung it in the yard and waited for the butterflies to come.

Here's what we saw* when we checked a little while later:

I believe these butterflies are of the species Photo Editus.

 My nephew made a similar bird feeder as a Mother's Day gift. He made his by covering an embroidery hoop with screen material.

We also checked out A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston from the library to learn more about butterflies. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a great introduction to butterflies and gives lots of interesting facts about the different varieties. The illustrations are gorgeous too.

*No we didn't.

Any tips for luring butterflies to our feeder? I've heard honey and yeast. Has anything worked well for you?