How to make a butterfly feeder

Want to bring beautiful butterflies into your garden? Michael Lawrie, Head Gardener for the Trust’s Dumfries & Galloway properties and Head of Threave School of Heritage Gardening, shares tips on how to make a butterfly feeder.
What you’ll need
- a paper plate
- string or cord
- beads and flowers to decorate
- pieces of soft fruit for the butterflies to eat – the riper the better!
Step 1
Use a paper punch to make holes in a paper plate.
Step 2
Pull the pieces of string or cord through the holes, securing them with a knot at the end by the plate. Add brightly coloured beads to the cords, and any other decorations you like. Tie the loose ends all together at the top (like a hanging basket).
Step 3
Add the slices of soft fruit – such as kiwi, pear, apple or berries – and hang the butterfly feeder up in the garden near flowering plants.
Top tip
Butterflies are attracted to bright colours – they particularly like white, pink, purple, red, yellow and orange.
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