bananas for butterflies - Page 2 - Wildlife Gardeners

Cirsium · 12-06-2009, 01:17 AM

There are a quite a few butterflies in the Midwest that could be attracted to rotting fruit. Some of the more common ones that might show up at a feeder are:
Mourning Cloak (attached photo), Question Mark, Commas, Tortoiseshells, Admirals, Little Wood Satyr, Common Wood-Nymph and Red Spotted Purples.

TimSaupe · 01-13-2010, 08:34 AM

Fantastic thread - this is something I plan on trying next year. In addition to the afore-mentioned bananas and watermelon, it seems as if I have seen images of butterflies coming to grapes. Any other fruits that people have experience with?

TheLorax · 01-15-2010, 12:39 PM

We visited MoBot last year. There was a phenomenal butterfly house that we thoroughly enjoyed. Throughout the butterfly house we found trays of mashed fruit. Grapes were used in the fruit trays.

When we returned home, we began offering trays of mashed fruit. We successfully used all fruit. The butterflies do not seem to mind what fruit is offered to them although they do like it moist.

I would suggest you place your tray in the shade. We added orange juice to prolong the life of the mashed fruit we offered.

12-06-2009, 01:17 AM	#11
Cirsium Co-Administrator Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Midwest	There are a quite a few butterflies in the Midwest that could be attracted to rotting fruit. Some of the more common ones that might show up at a feeder are: Mourning Cloak (attached photo), Question Mark, Commas, Tortoiseshells, Admirals, Little Wood Satyr, Common Wood-Nymph and Red Spotted Purples. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." Aldo Leopold

01-15-2010, 12:39 PM	#13
TheLorax Unicellular Fungi Join Date: Nov 2008	We visited MoBot last year. There was a phenomenal butterfly house that we thoroughly enjoyed. Throughout the butterfly house we found trays of mashed fruit. Grapes were used in the fruit trays. When we returned home, we began offering trays of mashed fruit. We successfully used all fruit. The butterflies do not seem to mind what fruit is offered to them although they do like it moist. I would suggest you place your tray in the shade. We added orange juice to prolong the life of the mashed fruit we offered. __________________ "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist

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01-13-2010, 08:34 AM	#12
TimSaupe Grub Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Fairfield Township, Ohio	Fantastic thread - this is something I plan on trying next year. In addition to the afore-mentioned bananas and watermelon, it seems as if I have seen images of butterflies coming to grapes. Any other fruits that people have experience with?