What a lovely way to spend time with butterflies! But before you get closer to them, please know how to handle one properly before the opportunity presents itself.
Although you can touch a butterfly and hold it gently, there are specific steps that need to be taken regarding butterfly handling.
Butterflies are very delicate creatures and can cause severe damage (or death) if not handled with care. The ideal way to handle a butterfly is to let it land naturally on your hand or arm.
Why You Must Touch Butterflies Carefully
The role of butterflies in the world around us cannot be overstated as they pollinate many of the flowers and plants that we eat or derive enjoyment from.
The wings and bodies of butterflies are also incredibly delicate and fragile, so caution should be taken when handling them. The wings of a butterfly are comprised of thousands of tiny scales, which can easily be lost if handled too roughly.
Once the tiny scales fall off of the wing, they appear as dust-like particles. If an excessive number of the scales falling off the butterfly’s wing, it renders that wing unusable for flight. Therefore, the butterfly will have trouble finding food and escaping predators, and ultimately, will have a much shorter lifespan.
Ground Rules For Touching Butterflies
Letting butterflies land on your hand is the safest thing to do as it allows them to land without losing any scales. That way you will have them with you until they decide to leave!
The Best Places To Find Butterflies Outside Your Yard
Butterflies thrive in meadows and open places in forests on bright days so they will be out in full force at these times.
On nice clear days with plenty of sunlight, look for spots with lots of flowers, as this is where butterflies will congregate to feed; the best flowers for attracting butterflies include black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, violets, and sunflowers.
While it’s possible to find butterflies in your own backyard, unless you’ve created a designated location within your garden that specifically attracts butterflies or have done something else to draw them to your property, the odds of seeing one are slim.
The Best Time Of Year To Find Butterflies
For nearly all climates, the optimal season for finding butterflies is the spring until the autumn months; however, there are some warm-cold climates where you can find both flowers and butterflies during this time as well as in the winter months.
How To Catch Butterflies Without Harming Them
If you’d like to touch a butterfly, you’ll need to gently catch it. You can do this with a butterfly net or by hand!
Catch A Butterfly With Your Hand
Previously, I explained that it is safe to touch a butterfly by attracting them to the palm of your hand. It will be less stressful for the butterfly when it chooses to land on your palm rather than being captured on your fingers. To hold a butterfly in this way is an indescribable experience.
If you want to experience this same sensation, follow these tips:
- Wear bright clothing: Just like the beautiful flower petals of a butterfly, your clothing should be as colorful and attractive to them.
- Stay away from chemical fragrances: One thing that can scare butterflies away is cologne (anything with a synthetic scent).
- Wear things that smell good to butterflies: Some things that smell good to butterflies include lavender, vanilla, and roses.
- Use Sugar Water: Just put some sugar in a cup with water, dip your finger in it, and wait.
- Use Nectar Rings: Nectar Rings are designed for feeding to hummingbirds, but some butterflies will visit these as well.
- Use fruit: Place a few slices of different kinds of fruits (the super ripe fruits like peaches, oranges, and strawberries are butterfly favorites) on your hand.
- Do not speak: The sound of the speaking voice can be perceived as threatening by butterflies.
- Be still: Any kind of movement will frighten butterflies. Therefore, remain calm and breathe deeply before you make any kind of sudden movements.
Catch A Butterfly With A Net
Catching butterflies with a butterfly net is easy (if you return them quickly!). Butterfly nets are the simplest and fastest way to catch a butterfly. The soft but durable material allows butterflies to be caught and retained while still being unharmed.
Let me offer you a few tips on catching butterflies with a butterfly net:
- Decide: It is significantly more challenging to catch a butterfly on the move than standing still.
- Go Slow: Most animals are frightened by sudden movements and butterflies will react the same way. Therefore, the best method to approach them would be to move toward them almost silently and slowly as much as possible.
- Relax: Butterflies can feel your energy, so try to stay calm and relaxed when you approach a butterfly.
- Use the Right Method: When capturing a butterfly with your net, move quickly but be gentle as you move it from either direction across the body of the butterfly and gently secure your net shut by holding it vertically or twisting it closed.
Are There Any Poisonous Butterflies You Should Avoid?
No, butterflies do not contain poison for humans, or they do not have fangs or stingers, and their wings are covered with powder that is not poisonous to humans. As long as you don’t eat the butterfly, there is nothing to worry about regarding butterflies and humans.
Butterflies can be poisonous to some of their predators that attempt to eat them, as they can accumulate specific toxins in their bodies from the plants and food sources that they consume (e.g., monarch butterflies and milkweed).
How To Attract Butterflies To Your Yard
having butterflies in the stomach’ or the feeling of excitement that accompanies it, wouldn’t it be nice for you if there were many butterflies?
If you want to get close to the butterflies without driving anywhere or going on a long hike, you can attract them to your backyard! There are many methods that you can use to attract butterflies and enjoy their beauty in your own backyard.
We begin by discussing which flowers to plant.
Plant Butterflies’ Favorite Flowers
The best and fastest way to attract more butterflies to your garden is to plant their favorite flowers.
They will be drawn to the color of these flowers as well as the fragrance and abundant amount of nectar they contain, which will make them a favorite flower for butterflies. Here are some of the types of flowers that butterflies love to feed on and why:
- Purple Coneflower: This flower’s bright color attracts many butterflies to it with its many nectar-producing flowers, which provide a place for butterflies to land.
- Joe-Pye Weed: The many small flowers that make up Joe-Pye Weed form clusters of tiny trumpet-shaped flowers that butterflies can use to reach the sweet nectar inside. These flowers are shaped like tiny cups for butterflies. The flower also grows in red-purple and pink varieties, and its shape and color attract many butterflies, especially those with red or yellow wings.
- Milkweed: Oh, guess what? Monarch butterflies are attracted to milkweed. Monarchs are host plants for monarchs, meaning they lay their eggs on the milkweed plant. So when you plant milkweed, you should expect monarch butterflies to arrive.
- Lavender: Butterflies and bees will be drawn to the beautiful purple spikes of lavender. Lavenders have hundreds of flowers that produce nectar and are very fragrant.
- Goldenrod: Goldenrod is a bright yellow flower that attracts many different kinds of butterflies to it. There is a dense cluster of calyxes and nectar in goldenrod flowers that give off an allure to butterflies.
Additional planting helps draw pollinators, as well as planting flowers that attract butterflies even though they won’t attract bees, so if you’re afraid of the latter, there are plenty of options!
Offer Them Sugar Water From Your Butterfly Feeder
Another excellent method to establish a welcoming place for butterflies is by creating a sugar water solution so that butterflies may also feed on your backyard.
To create your own sugar water solution, simply mix equal parts sugar and water (use three teaspoons sugar for every one cup water). This recipe yields enough solution for a few cups (or more) of sugar water to fill the feeder you will be using.
If you don’t own a sugar-water feeder, you could easily purchase one from your local garden centre or create a homemade version.
Offer Them Water In A Butterfly-Safe Way
When the warmer weather approaches, butterflies will be searching for ways to quench their thirst. Like humans, they need and want water, but butterflies cannot swim or land on water which is why lakes and ponds won’t provide suitable water options.
Butterflies obtain magnesium and sodium from the soil when they are puddling or drinking from the soil instead of being able to find clean water. Providing butterflies with a way to drink ‘puddle’ will enable them to use their wings for flight!
One way you can encourage butterflies to return to your yard is by providing them with a mud puddle. All you need is a shallow container, either some sand or soil, and then add water to it.
First, put some sand or soil into the container and soak it completely. Then pour enough water (at least 2 cm deep) over the sand or soil. Finally, leave the container in a sunny area so that butterflies can take advantage of the warm weather while they are drinking!
Make The Butterflies A Handy Salt Lick
Butterflies obtain alot of their sugar from nectar, but they do not get any salt. Being an insect, a butterflyMUST have salt in order to survive, and they need to find it from additional sources like sweat, feces, and dirt. If you want to attract butterflies, you can create a salt lick for them.
Simply add 1-2 tbsp of salt to the sand or dirt where you’re providing them with “mud water” (how to do this is described above)!
Final Advice
Butterflies are delicate creatures and are equally as beautiful as they are. You must know many ways to entice or touch them. Only use two or three of these suggestions at a time and don’t become disappointed if the first time you try them it fails. The day will come when you will experience the joy of being able to connect with a butterfly.