How to Provide Water in Butterfly Gardens

Butterflies are not only stunning creatures that bring joy and beauty to our gardens but also essential pollinators that play a vital role in our ecosystem. To attract and sustain butterflies in your garden, it's crucial to provide them with water sources. By incorporating these simple techniques, you can transform your garden into a haven that will not only attract a diverse range of butterflies but also provide them with the hydration they need. Butterflies need moisture but cannot land on water to drink, so a typical garden pond, fountain, or birdbath won't help them. Instead, butterflies sip liquid from muddy soil. This is known as "puddling" and not only provides moisture but also salts and other dissolved minerals that they need. Male butterflies need minerals to produce the pheromones they use to attract mates, and also pass them to females during reproduction to help support egg laying. Here are examples of three typical water stations.

• Natural Puddling Area: Create a natural puddling area by digging out a wide, shallow depression in the ground near flowers and lining it with a plastic weed barrier or pond liner for durability. Cover with 1-2 inches of landscape sand mixed with compost or garden soil. Add a drip irrigation emitter to keep it moist. Decorate with decorative rocks that will serve as landing and basking places.

• Puddling Dish: Use a shallow dish such as a flower pot drainage saucer or a pie tin. Place in a depression in the ground near flowers. Fill with a mix of landscape sand and compost or garden soil. Add a drip emitter to keep moist.

• Watering Dish: Use the same type of shallow dish as above or even the bowl of a birdbath. Add decorative stones like river rocks or beach pebbles and fill the bowl with water. The stones will serve as a landing pad for butterflies and other insects trying to get a sip of water. Birds and other wildlife can get a drink as well. You can also use a drip emitter to fill this watering dish.

• Maintenance: Remember to clean and maintain these water sources regularly to prevent the growth of algae and mosquitoes. For the puddling areas and dishes, these should only be moist with no standing water. It might dry out in between waterings and that is okay. The watering dish should be allowed to dry out every few days.

What's Happening at DesertStraw House

Summer Hours Update:

The nursery is closed until September but we are still doing our Garden Tours by appointment

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS MONTH

June marks the beginning of summer and the end of most of our gardening chores for this season. The next three months it's time to relax, enjoy our gardens while floating in the pool, and dream of the projects you want to tackle and plants you want to plant in the fall!

Topics covered: Planting, Pruning, Flowering, Vegetables, Irrigation, Pests, Weeds, and Fertilizer

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