How to make a Butterfly Feeder

Most people love butterflies and feel that they definitely enhance the life of a garden. Attracting gorgeous butterflies to your garden is easy. Why not get the kids to try make our homemade butterfly feeder?

What you’ll need:

  • Glass jar with lid (not too big!)
  • String or coloured wool
  • Sugar
  • Water
  • Cotton wool
  • Nail and hammer

Step 1

Cut 4 strands of string or coloured wool at least 6 x the height of your jar.

You can use any colour combination!

Step 2

Tie one piece of string around the neck of the jar making a double knot. Tie the next piece of string around the neck of the jar ensuring the knot is opposite your first knot. Do the same with the other two pieces of string ensuring the knots have quartered the bottle when viewed from above so no knots are touching each other.

Step 3

Knot one piece of string hanging from one of your four points to the closest piece of string hanging from a different point about half way down the bottle. This will make a v-shape. Repeat until all the strings have been matched with a partner from a different point.

Repeat the above step but now tying the v-shape to the bottom of the bottle. You’ll have effectively made a net around your bottle.

Step 4

Gather all the string ends together at the base of your bottle and tightly tie a knot to hold them firmly in place.

Step 5

Dissolve one or two tablespoons of sugar for every 200ml of boiling or warm water to aid dissolving.

Fill your jar ¾ of the way to the top with the sugar water.

Step 6

Use the hammer and nail to punch one hole in the lid and thread a cotton ball through the hole in the lid to form a wick.

Step 7

Place the lid on your jar and tighten. Now you can turn it upside down and hang it from a sunny spot in your garden. If your jar leaks, simply use plumbing tape to coat the bottle thread before screwing on the lid.

Be sure to keep an eye on your butterfly feeder so that you can see all your visitors flutter by!

To download the PDF version click here!

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