Let’s make a DIY butterfly feeder and fill it with an easy butterfly food recipe that can be hung from a tree branch in your backyard to attract beautiful butterflies. Kids of all ages will love this easy butterfly feeder project and it is a great way to upcycle your overripe fruit!
Our yard doesn’t have many butterflies right now and I am going to change that with this butterfly food recipe & homemade butterfly feeder.
DIY Butterfly Feeder
Making a DIY butterfly feeder is a great way to attract more butterflies to your yard in an inexpensive and homemade way!
Many of us have bird feeders, but not a lot of us have an easy butterfly feeder.
What to Feed Butterflies
The cool part is, it isn’t just a butterfly water feeder or sugar water. It’s a specific recipe the butterflies will love.
It is a sure way to attract local butterflies and all their bright colors to your yard. It’ll almost look like a butterfly garden it’ll attract so many.
This sugar solution uses a few different ingredients, but many you may have around the house. But making your own butterfly feeders is an easy craft that will attract all the colorful butterflies.
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How to Make Butterfly Food
See how to make a DIY butterfly feeder below from hanging sponges and let’s gather the ingredients you will need so you have exactly what you need to put into a butterfly feeder.
Ingredients Needed for Butterfly Food Recipe
*Use overripe fruit, not rotten fruit. There is a difference. Overripe bananas are like the brown bananas you would use for banana bread. An easy way to tell if your fruit is bad is if it is liquid, smelly, or moldy.
Supplies Needed to Make Butterfly Food
Grab a wooden spoon and a large mixing bowl so we can put all of this together for the butterflies since it isn’t just sugar water.
Steps to Making Butterfly Food Recipe
Step 1
Mash the bananas using a fork.
Step 2
In the large bowl, mix all the ingredients well. If you find that your bananas are lumpy, continue to stir with a large spoon until smooth.
Note: Do not let your little one taste this. The bananas, sugar, and syrup may be appealing, but adult supervision is required if your little one is helping.
How to Make a Butterfly Feeder
The simple butterfly feeder is made with just two supplies which makes it really easy to answer the question, How to feed butterflies?!
DIY Butterfly Feeder Supplies Needed
Steps to Making Butterfly Food
Step 1
Take each sponge and cut a small hole in one end toward the top in the middle using the sharp end of the scissors to poke through the sponge.
Step 2
Tie twine or string through the hole and secure.
Step 3
Leave a long end of the sting/twine so you can use it to hang from a tree branch.
Step 4
Now let’s make the butterfly food recipe (a printable version is below)…
Add Butterfly Food to DIY Butterfly Feeder
–>I recommend doing this step outside so the butterfly food mixture doesn’t drip in your home!
Step 1 – Add Butterfly Nectar to Sponge
Dip the sponges into the mixture and allow the sponges to soak up the mixture. I did one side of the sponge then flipped it over so it was entirely coated.
Step 2 – Hang DIY Butterfly Feeder in Tree Branch
Then hang the sponges from a tree limb or tree branch. The vibrant colors of this fun little project will also make your tree more colorful! A welcome addition of color I think.
Plus hanging it up high on a tree branch is a safe place away from pets and children. This homemade nectar is for butterflies after all.
How to Feed Butterflies without a Butterfly Feeder
You can also paint the butterfly food mixture on trees, fence posts, rocks, or stumps. Choose places that butterflies might land or be attracted to. Butterflies especially like the color yellow.
Can You Feed Butterflies Hummingbird Food?
Yes! In fact the traditional homemade nectar of sugar water can be used for both hummingbirds and butterflies. Hummingbirds prefer red and bright warm colors. Butterflies are attracted by brighter yellows. Hummingbirds will eat more and need larger feeder areas.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Difficulty
easy
Estimated Cost
under $10
Materials
- 1 pound Sugar
- 1-2 cans stale beer
- 3 mashed, overripe bananas
- 1 cup molasses, honey or syrup
- 1 cup fruit juice
- 1 shot rum
- Sponges
- Twine or string
Tools
- Scissors
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
Instructions
- Mash the overripe bananas with a fork.
- Combine all the ingredients in the large mixing bowl.
- Stir until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
- At the end of each of the sponges poke a hole with the end of the scissors.
- Thread the twine or string through the hole in the sponge and tie a knot leaving enough string or twine length to use for hanging.
- Dip the sponges into the mixture allowing them to soak up the liquid either dunking it or rotating to all sponge sides. This step is best done outside to decrease your kitchen mess!
- Hang the sponges from a tree limb, fence or post.
- You can paint the extra butterfly food mixture onto trees, fences, rocks and stumps.
More Feeders to Make for Your Backyard
More Butterfly Fun from Kids Activities Blog
Tell us about whether your new homemade butterfly feeder attracted butterflies!
