creating a butterfly habitat

  • ANIMALS/WILDLIFE, GARDENING, GOOD FOR NATURE, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SUMMER

    How to Plant a Butterfly Garden with Your Child

    The joy of digging in the dirt, growing flowers, and watching butterflies alight on fragrant blooms make growing a butterfly garden a magical summertime activity for kids of all ages. Today, we have the amazing outdoor adventure mom Josée, from The Backwoods Mama, here teach us all about why butterflies matter, what flower they’re attracted to and how to help butterflies thrive by planting a butterfly garden with your child. Planting a butterfly garden is a wonderful project for children of all ages. And you don’t have to have a lot of space; you can grow a butterfly garden nearly anywhere!

    The butterfly is a flying flower, The flower a tethered butterfly.” – Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

    A budding interest in flowers and butterflies

    “Maman, look! It’s a butterfly!” my daughter exclaimed with delight.

    A beautiful tiger swallowtail alighted on a flower in our garden. We quietly watched as the butterfly sipped nectar and then fluttered away on the warm summer breeze.

    Flowers and butterflies have been the topic of many conversations in our home lately. It all started when my children received a special parcel with fifteen tiny little painted lady caterpillars. As those little caterpillars, grew so did our collection of library books on butterflies and flowers. Soon, we were making lists of flowers that butterflies like and making trips to our local garden centre. We had decided to plant a butterfly garden for our soon to hatch painted ladies.

    Why do butterflies matter?

    Butterflies are some of the most beautiful insects on our planet. Their delicate wings dance like flowers in the wind. However, butterflies are much more than pretty bugs; they are very important for healthy habitats.

    Butterflies are crucial pollinators. Some plants, like milkweed, depend on butterflies to help them reproduce. Butterflies are also an important food source for birds, amphibians, reptiles and other creatures. Butterflies are even considered an “indicator” species because they are very sensitive to changes in habitat.

    Sadly, the fragile butterfly is under threat because of habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use. Don’t despair! That’s where you and your child can help. Growing a butterfly garden helps butterflies by giving them food to eat and a safe place to rear their young.

    Attractor flowers for butterflies

    Did you know that butterflies can see the color red? It’s true! That’s why many butterflies prefer flowers that are bright red, orange and yellow. Butterflies also taste with their feet – yum!

    Another interesting fact about butterflies is that they are picky eaters. Each species of butterfly has its own favorite flowers. However, despite their picky palate, there are many flowers that butterflies love. I have compiled a list below of twenty-five flowers that are sure to attract butterflies to your garden.

    These butterfly attractor flowers listed below come in all shapes and sizes. Some will come back every year (perennials) and others will not (annuals). Remember, flowers behave in different ways. Some get really tall or very wide. Other like to spread everywhere. Mint and goldenrod send out runner roots and can very quickly take over an area. Plant these in containers or in areas that you don’t mind be taken over.

    Also, some native flowers can be difficult to find. Milkweed is a native plant and can be difficult to find. Check local nurseries specializing in native plants. In our butterfly garden, we have a mix of sunflowers, zinnias, dianthus, cosmos, echinacea, marigold, veronica and yarrow. It’s beautiful chaos and butterflies love it.

    25 flowers that attract butterflies

    • Allium
    • Aster
    • Butterfly Bush
    • Chrysanthemum
    • Cosmo
    • Daisy
    • Dianthus
    • Echinacea
    • Goldenrod
    • Joe pye weed
    • Lantana
    • Liatris
    • Lupin
    • Marigold
    • Milkweed
    • Mint
    • Monarda
    • Black Eyed Susan
    • Nasturtium
    • Snapdragon
    • Sunflower
    • Verbena
    • Veronica
    • Yarrow
    • Zinnia

    How to plant a butterfly garden

    Planting a butterfly garden with your child is a wonderful way to connect with nature and help butterflies thrive. You don’t need a huge backyard or a large space to make a butterfly garden. If you don’t have a lot of room, don’t worry! A butterfly garden can come in all shapes and sizes. You can plant a butterfly garden in a pot on your balcony, in a hanging basket or in several containers along the sunny side of your home.

    1. Choose a sunny spot

    The location of your garden is more important than its size. Butterflies and flowers are sun-powered, so it’s important to plant your butterfly garden in a nice sunny spot. Make sure you also have access to water, whether that’s from rain, a sprinkler or a hose.

    2. Gather your supplies

    Once you’ve picked your sunny spot, make a list of supplies. You will need the following items:

    • soil
    • something (or somewhere) to plant your flowers in (container, pot or hanging basket)
    • seeds or flowers to plant
    • water

    3. Select your flowers

    My suggestion is to make a list of flowers that bring you and your child joy (from the list above) and take it to your local garden center, greenhouse or plant nursery. Find someone there that is happy to talk plants and offer you ideas for what kind of plants will work best for your space and climate.

    Some things to think about when purchasing flowers are:

    • Where are you going to plant your flowers?
    • How much space do you have?
    • Will the flowers come back every year (perennials) or not (annuals)?
    • How much space will your flowers need?
    • Will the flowers grow well in your climate?
    • How big will your flowers get?
    • How much water will the flowers need?
    • Is it easier to grow this flower from seed or as a seedling?

    4. Plant your flowers

    Once you’ve selected your flowers, it’s time to get dirty! If you are planting your flowers from seed, it’s best to get them into the ground early in the season. For flower seedlings, plant them into your pot or into the ground as soon as possible. I find that it’s quite easy to forget about flower seedlings and have them accidentally dry up and die before being planted – oops!

    Encourage your child to get their hands dirty and help with planting the flowers. Dirt is good for kids! And don’t forget to give your newly planted seeds and seedlings water so that they can grow.

    5. Watch for butterflies

    Once your flowers are planted, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your need butterfly garden. Set up a chair, blanket or reading nook near your flower garden and keep an eye out for some colorful butterfly friends with your child. Take out books from your local library about butterflies and enjoy some read-aloud time together. Maybe you will even want to rear your own butterflies!

    Rearing your own butterflies

    Butterflies have an amazing life-cycle called complete metamorphosis. This process has four stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and butterfly (adult). It can be very difficult to see all four stages in nature which is why rearing butterflies in your home can be such a great learning opportunity.

    These days it’s easy to find butterfly rearing kits from online education stores. One popular butterfly to rear is the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly. My kids reared their first butterflies this season and they just loved it.

    What butterflies live in your area?
    What types of flowers do they like to visit?

     

    About the author

    Hello! Bonjour! I’m Josée. I am a nature lover, blogger, photographer and homeschooler. I live in the sunny Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada with my husband and my three children. We are avid rock climbers, hikers, campers, skiers and adventure seekers. We love exploring new places, both near and far, and enjoy getting outside whatever the weather. I believe in the beauty of raising wild children!

    You can find more about Josée and her adventures at http://www.backwoodsmama.com and on Instagram at @thebackwoodsmama.

  • NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    Raising Butterflies with Kids

    One of our favorite spring and summer activities is to raise our own butterflies from caterpillars. Watching the life cycle of a butterfly is absolutely fascinating, for both kids and adults. My husband and I are always surprised to find ourselves incredibly invested in the health and growth of our little caterpillars and we watch over them like concerned parents. The kids love observing the caterpillars as they inch their way around and explore, they marvel at how quickly they grow and can barely contain their excitement when the first butterfly emerges from it’s cocoon. Watching this spectacular metamorphosis up close and personal is an incredible experience that every kid should try.

    Raising your own butterflies from caterpillars is a much easier and low maintenance science project than you might imagine. It’s an easy project for parents to set up and teaches children valuable lessons about observing nature, the metamorphosis process and taking care of wildlife. Whether you want to hunt for your own caterpillars or just purchase a kit online, we’re here to walk you through the process and make this an experience that you and your children will always remember and want to recreate every year.
    how to grow your own butterflies from caterpillars

    Finding caterpillars

    Did you know that there are at least 725 different species of butterflies in North America? If you live in the U.S. it’s likely that there are about 100 butterfly species near you; even more the further South you are. If you know what butterflies are native to your area, you can look up the particular host plants that caterpillars prefer. Once you identify the types of plants, start looking for caterpillars on the leave. Caterpillars can usually be found on trees, grass and leaves near wooded areas. Caterpillars may also hide in piles of decaying leaves and on tree bark. Monarchs love milkweed. Caterpillars look different based on what species of butterfly they come from/will turn into. They can be brightly colored, dark and camouflaged, hairy, spotted, skinny or fat. June is usually a good month for finding caterpillars.

    While it’s very exciting to go out and find your own caterpillars, that is easier said than done. Feel free to give it a shot with your kids, but if you can’t find any, don’t feel bad about ordering a kit online. Trust me, it doesn’t make you any less of a butterfly-lover to just have them shipped to your front door! Last year we purchased this butterfly growing kit that contained a mesh net butterfly habitat, feeding pipette and a voucher to order our caterpillars. Once our order was placed, a cup of 5 tiny caterpillars arrived at our door. The lid of the plastic container had air holes punched in it and there was a thick layer of “caterpillar food” (whatever that is) at the bottom of the cup.

    how to create a caterpillar habitat for raising butterflies

    Creating a caterpillar habitat

    If you find your own caterpillars in the wild, you need to create a habitat for them. A large glass jar or small aquarium works great. Make sure it has a secure lid with lots of breathable fresh air (more than just poking a couple holes in a lid). Try using cheesecloth or mesh over the top. Gather some leaves of the host plant you found your caterpillars on and put them in a large jar with some sticks for crawling on and some grass in the bottom of the jar. Caterpillars only like fresh leaves, so change them out daily. And they get their hydration from the leaves, so no need to put any water in the habitat.

    If your cup o’ caterpillars was shipped to you, you’re all set. There’s no need to take them out of the cup they come in, however, you can do the same thing and create a larger habitat for them, which makes it easier for kids to observe them and gives the caterpillars some extra space and things to crawl around on. We did this and left the cups of food at the bottom of the jar for the caterpillars to eat. We filled the jar with grass, sticks and leaves. The caterpillars loved exploring their surroundings, but they spent a lot of time down to the food cups to eat.

    Watch them grow

    It’s amazing how quickly your tiny little caterpillars turn into big fat caterpillars. The caterpillars you receive in a hatching kit will only be in caterpillar stage for 5-10 days. In that time they will more than triple in size. Mainly, they’ll eat, but they’ll also crawl around the habitat and practice spinning silk, which you can see on the outside of the container. You’ll also notice they they shed a bit, so don’t be alarmed when it looks like the caterpillars may have left a fuzzy segment or two behind. Keep the container around room temperature and out of direct sunlight, which can overheat them and cause condensation in the habitat.

    using butterfly kits with kids

    Changing into a chrysalis

    When they’re big and fat and ready to change into butterflies, the caterpillars climb to the top of the container/habitat and attach themselves to the lid with strands of silk. They hang upside down and form a J-shape, which signals the start of the chrysalis process. They shed a thin layer of outer skin. During this time it is very important not to disturb, shake or move your container.

    Once all your caterpillars form chrysalises, wait 24 hours and then transfer them to the hatching habitat (mesh pop-up). Move the entire lid and do not detach the chrysalises. Be very careful when transferring and remove any webbing that may be stuck to them. You can rest the lid against the side of the habitat, so the chrysalises hang down and lay against it. Once a day, spray a fine mist of water into the habitat for a tiny bit of extra moisture, but do not over-water.

    teaching kids about butterflieshow to teach kids about raising butterfliesThe birth of butterflies

    After the caterpillars form chrysalises, they emerge as butterflies in 7-10 days. The change is absolutely remarkable and it’s a great time to read a book or two on butterfly metamorphosis with your kids. The chrysalises grow darker as they get closer to emerging and sometimes they even shake! When your butterfly emerges, you may also see a red liquid that looks like blood – this is meconium. We call that the butterfly’s first poop!

    When butterflies first emerge, they cannot fly. They need some time to stretch and strengthen their wings and push blood into their veins. After a few hours, the wings will be fully unfolded, dried and hardened and the butterfly will be ready for flight! However, you’ll probably be pretty attached to them by this point, so it’s okay to keep them a day to two to observe before releasing them. Make sure to have some food in the habitat, like fresh fruit (watermelon, bananas, strawberries, oranges) and a few drops of sugar water. Butterflies taste through their feet and eat through a tube called a proboscis.

    growing caterpillars and butterfliesteaching kids about butterfly releaseraising your own butterflies from caterpillars

    Release your butterflies

    When you’re ready, release your butterflies into their natural habitat. The release can be done by just opening the top of the habitat and letting them leave on their own or by gently cupping them and letting them go. If your kids want to release the butterflies, show them how to hold them very gently, so as to not damage their wings. It’s ok to shed a tear when they fly away. Even though you’ve raised them from tiny baby caterpillars, don’t worry, it’s not nearly as hard as sending your kid off to kindergarten or college (or so I hear). Once released, butterflies usually stick around the area and can be seen for several days in the vicinity of their release. Hopefully you’ll get lucky and they’ll stick around!

    teachign kids about metamorphosis teaching kids how to handle butterflies how to grow butterfly from caterpillar growing butterfly from a caterpillar raising butterflies with kids raising painted lady butterflies from a kit

    Have you ever raised butterflies with your kids?