Bringing Butterflies into Your Yard
By: Putu Eka Gunadi
It’s been said that you shouldn’t chase after butterflies if you want to capture them. That made it hard to capture since the harder one tried to catch it, the farther it would fly. If you make yourself chase after it rather than obtaining it. We frequently experience fatigue and energy depletion.
Plant a variety of trees to witness the beauty of butterflies. Butterflies will naturally appear as the trees bloom and send out their flowers. In addition, lovely butterflies are soaring over our yard. It’s interesting to see that other emotions also arrive. Bees and beetles will visit as well.
Image1. Illustration of a child chasing a butterfly (Source: pixabay.com)
With their captivating wings and delicate movements, butterflies are an essential component of the beauty of nature. However, the use of chemical pesticides and the loss of their natural habitat are causing a decline in butterfly numbers. By establishing a butterfly haven in our backyard, we can contribute to their continued survival.
1. Plants That Attract Butterflies
The secret to getting butterflies into our yard is plants. Pick vibrantly colored flowers and flower forms that are easily reachable by a butterfly’s proboscis in order to collect nectar from them. Asoka, zinnia, lantana, hibiscus, pagoda, and marigold flowers are a few examples. Make sure you select a diverse range of plants to draw in various kinds of butterflies.
Image 2. Butterflies suck flower nectar (Source: Author’s documentation)
2. Avoid Using Chemical Pesticides
Pesticides have the potential to harm larvae of butterflies. Try not to use chemical pesticides in your yard as much as you can. Instead, take into account ecologically friendly organic techniques like employing predator larvae to manage insect populations or growing native plants that naturally repel pests.
3. Make a Muddy Area
Muddy places are necessary for butterflies to obtain mineral salts and water, both of which are essential for their metabolism. They also like sucking on the nutrients found in rotting fruit. You can create a muddy area in your yard by leaving some patches of soil moist, or by adding bits of rotting fruit and damp sponge.
Image 3. Butterflies suck minerals in muddy areas (Source: Author’s documentation)
4. Provide a place to lay eggs
Some butterfly species require host plants to lay their eggs. For example, the orange butterfly, Papilio demoleous, and Papilio memnon require orange plants as a place to lay their eggs and food for their larvae. Other examples that are host plants for butterflies are: sugar apple trees, banana trees, and thistle trees. Plant these plants in your yard to provide a nesting place for butterflies.
Image 4. Butterfly caterpillars and their host plants (Source: Author’s documentation)
Some butterfly species require host plants to lay their eggs. For example, the orange butterfly, Papilio demoleous, and Papilio memnon require orange plants as a place to lay their eggs and food for their larvae. Other examples that are host plants for butterflies are: sugar apple trees, banana trees, and thistle trees. Plant these plants in your yard to provide a nesting place for butterflies.
4. Provide a place to lay eggs
Peggie, Djunijanti. Mengenal Kupu-kupu. Pandu Aksara Publishing.
Peggie, Djunijanti. Panduan Praktis Kupu-kupu di Kebun Raya Bogor. Lembaga Biologi Nasional.
https://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/search?q=hosting+plant
https://ecogardener.com/blogs/news/attracting-butterflies-to-your-garden
https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/gardening
https://nimadesriandani.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/mengundang-kupu-kupu-datang-ke-halaman/
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