Butterflies need water. They also like places to rest and
warm up, says a University of
Georgia gardening expert. And you can do some things to enhance
your butterfly garden.

“Fill the birdbath up with clean sand and soil or clay,
and level it off,”
says Paul Thomas, an Extension Service floriculturist with the
UGA College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. “Then, gently fill the
birdbath with water until it just
glistens on the surface of the sand.”

Butterflies love wet sand in a sunny spot, Thomas says.
You’ll need to replenish the
water often, though, on hot days.

Butterfly Fun With
Fruit

“Another fun thing you can do is put pieces of fruit,
old or fresh, on top of the
sand,” he says. “Pieces of old watermelons,
cantaloupes, bananas, apples and
pears attract butterflies like magnets.”

Once the fruit has rotted or dried, he says, just remove
it.

“Don’t be overly concerned by the bees and other
insects that also visit the
fruit,” he says. “It is all a part of nature and
worthy of being observed.”