Butterfly Puddler — A Pollinator ‘Garden’ that Fits the Tiniest of Space

A flowered ceramic cup with large saucer and jumbo latte. A cushy chair with low tables and view from the expansive wrap-around windows looking out to local shops and mountains beyond. A friendly smile from Lori, a new friend, and a couple of hours of random train-of-thought conversation. Both thoughtfully sharing planned professional projects. This was the setting of the last get-together at a local coffee shop I remember before Covid.

Appeared common then, but seems like pure pleasure now, as actual physical isolation is the norm (even if zoom meetings eat up our waking hours). Tête-à-tête online is clearly second best.

This particular pow-wow offered me an unusual (also fun and easy) project to complete during distressing pandemic times. Lori introduced me to the concept of the ‘butterfly puddler’ or butterfly puddling. (Spoiler Alert: a butterfly puddler is not a place for butterflies to pee.)

I followed through with the idea during the summer. I encourage you to consider this pollinator garden, which is small enough to be appropriate even for an urban windowsill, although admittedly more productive around flowers. You can do it before the summer ends, competed within an hour (if you have the few ingredients lined up).

WHY make a Butterfly Puddle?

Aside from encouraging pollinators (always a helpful thing – see Insects & Health: the Good, Bad & the Ugly), butterflies are beautiful. We all deserve more beauty in our lives.

Technically, compared to other pollinators, butterflies benefit in a few ways from this type of pollinator garden, because:

• butterflies can’t land or stand on open water
• butterflies cannot live on sugar alone
• butterflies are more attracted to a “puddle” than pretty butterfly houses, that may decorate your patio or yard, but do little for their needs.

Millions levitra line of men have tried the medicine and achieved great sexual pleasure. robertrobb.com order cialis When will a cancer patient who has had treatment experience impotence? Depending on the treatment, the experience of the surgeon, or class of the medical equipment used. When gallbladder is gone, aggressive, acidic liver bile irritates bile cheapest viagra generic ducts and sphincter of Oddi-the muscle valve between bile duct and duodenum. Take the medicine only when needed there should be at least one day gap between the doses as it has been prescribed; do not practiced over dose; since, it leads to cause certain form of side-effects. viagra professional price

On a short hike this spring (after masks were already required), my friend Bonnie and I stopped to sit on a log (one long enough for distancing). A butterfly landed on her, first on her jacket, then sneakers, then shoelaces. It didn’t depart, and we were forced to wait things out, as opposed to disturbing it, for over 20 minutes. What was it doing? I learned it was “puddling” – what might be seen as a dipping motion – with the goal to retrieve minerals (probably salt) from the items. It wasn’t mistakenly seeking nectar from pretty-colored clothing, thinking they were flower blooms; it was seeking and finding needed nutrients.

HOW to make a Butterfly Puddler?

Whether you favor a humble mud pie, a crafty ‘fairy garden’ (as many seem drawn to), or a tiny pollinator place, the hardest part is picking up ingredients. No, that’s not hard either.

Below I have shared 3 videos with you to provide ideas, but these are strictly for fun. The directions are truly THAT simple.

1. Find any Shallow Bowl
   Notice that I used a large plant saucer I had laying around and placed it on an upside-down pot. One of the videos uses a purchased bird bath, while another (not shared) took advantage of a used take-out container. The key is depth; 2-3 inches is good.
   …..
2. Fill with Sand
   If your container is a bit deeper than you want, put gravel down first, with sufficient sand layer over it. Some crafty folk use colored kid’s sand (to resemble water, or grass).
   …..
3. Add the Minerals (hopefully Manure)
   Add 2 tablespoons of manure (or more), either purchased or from compost. (I could say “get over it” except that the smell is really not that bad, so nothing really to “get over.”) The manure supplies salt, protein and minerals. Some other ‘recipes’ (which I don’t suggest unless necessary) call for 2 tablespoons of sugar with a big dash of salt. Every couple months you should replenish this – at least the manure, if not the sand as well.
   …..
4. Add water
   This small venture is for outside, so it’s fine for the water to slosh a bit. You may wish to make a center hole to puddle the water. Since you need to keep it wet, if you have a drip system or sprinkler, put the puddler nearby to do the work for you. But if it’s in a place nearby, it might be nice just to use your watering can periodically.
   …..
5. Extra Landing Spot (Optional)
   The butterflies can land on the edge of your container. However, if you wish to make things easier for them, place a few landing spots in the sand. They don’t care what you use, crafty or not, but I like the natural look – like stones.
   …..
6. Special Treat (Optional)
   These lovely creatures need the minerals, along with flower nectar, but other things attract them as well – namely fruit. Now, this may seem like a lot of extra work. Could be. Except that they are more attracted to decomposed fruit than fresh (even banana peels). If you like the look of fresh fruit in the puddle, knock yourself out. You can add oranges, apples, berries, or bananas to treat yourself to the look of a colorful fruit bowl. But it can be less work by just using banana peels; as they age the butterflies are enticed. [Isn’t that nice – the attraction is much stronger to those items that are aging. ]
   …
   Notice that I used another old (but tiny) terra-cotta saucer for their ‘extra dining.’ You can recycle a plastic lid that isn’t allowed in the recycle bin, an old saucer for which the matching cup is broken, or any plate-like holder that strikes you.

…..

…..

.

 FINAL THOUGHT

Truth-be-told time. So I have to admit, success with my butterfly puddler has been painfully slow. But the same was true for my new bird feeders and water fountain. I trust it will improve and bring that joyful heart flutter I always feel when seeing a “flutter-by” as many UK children’s books dubbed them.

Before summer ends perhaps you can add an extra touch of beauty to your life – and be a helpful environmentalist – by creating this tiniest of pollinator gardens.

Video from Atlanta

——–

Fairy garden craft.

——–

Self-watering type (poor sound):

Image credit: butterfly: Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Share This: