Butterfly Houses

Attracting Butterflies

The best way to attract any wildlife species is to provide a consistent source of food, water, shelter, and habitat landscaping in an environment free of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals. In designing a butterfly habitat, you will want to provide a source of food for both caterpillars and butterflies.

Butterfly caterpillars can be found nibbling on the leaves of Asters, Milkweed, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Violets, and Citrus. Not to worry…although they are eating the leaves of these plants, they will not cause any significant damage and will not move on to your prized roses or rhododendrons. Just keep in mind that without these crawling critters, the butterflies would not be possible.

When the butterflies become adults, they can be found sipping the nectar of flowering plants. Some research suggests planting the following flowers: Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia); Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium); Aster; Purple coneflower; Butterfly bush (Buddleia); Liatris.

Another source suggests honeysuckle, clover, phlox, wildflowers, rotting fruit (bananas, apples), molasses, and stale beer. Many species like to drink at mud puddles and congregate where the ground is damp and sunny. They recommend sinking a dish of damp sand in the ground with flat rocks around it to absorb heat.

Adult butterflies may use the butterfly house as shelter from the elements or for roosting at night, or it may be used as a nursery for the developing chrysalis. It may also be used by overwintering species as a hibernaculum.

The Registry of Nature Habitats is dedicated to the preservation of land that, over time, has been a site and home for complex ecosystems. The Registry advocates preservation of these lands and its inhabitants, environmental education for community individuals and groups, and nurturing of these lands through restoration in order to conserve its natural resources for future generations.

Preserve

The Registry of Nature Habitats manages critical habitat, consisting of wetland, lowland, upland, forest and stream habitat, providing a home to wildlife species and plant species. As part of the mission to preserve these lands and its inhabitants, the Registry will continue to contract with owners of ecologically sensitive land as it becomes available.

Educate

The Registry of Nature Habitats is a "teaching ground," able to provide hands-on, interpretive learning experiences in areas such as ecology, botany, wildlife science, and geology, as well as the arts and humanities. The educational mission of The Registry of Nature Habitats is to teach an understanding and appreciaton of the environment, the invaluable lesson of land stewardship of our natural resources, and to expand the general knowledge of this habitat through scientific research. This will be accomplished through a year-round experiential, interactive approach, along with onsite and outreach activities including providing educational material both on this website, on media and through educational seminars. An on-site facility is in the design phase, which will house classrooms and an administrative space.

Nurture

Through several restoration projects, including the rebuilding of stream corridors, reintroducing native flora, and permitting only low-impact activities, the Registry is nurturing much land back to its natural state, undoing the damage of hundreds of years. The Registry of Nature Habitats restoration plan, developed with public and private partnerships and with local community support, will increase the land's value, enhance wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and preserve the integrity of the land's bio-diversity.

Renewable Energy

Promote the use of renewable and efficient energy technologies through education, training, workforce development, research, and project facilitation. The Registry supports clean energy development and energy conservation as the means to protect the environment, enhance public health, and save our nature habitats.

Conservation

We seek to educate people and provide innovative solutions that will help build a clean, more efficient world, by reducing energy consumption in a prudent way that does not threaten the natural balance that supports all life.

Attracting Butterflies

Support