How to Attract Butterflies with Fruit

Co-authored by Shweta Sharma and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: January 10, 2023 References

Butterflies are welcome guests to your home and garden. Not only do they help pollinate your plants, but they’re also beautiful to look at. If you want more butterflies in your yard, attracting them is as easy as making a fruit salad. By making a simple feeder and leaving out fruit, your yard will soon be full of butterflies for the summer!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making a Butterfly Feeder

1
Place a plate on a larger saucer filled with water to keep ants away. Unfortunately, ants will also want to snack on any fruit you leave out. Luckily, ants don’t cross water. By leaving the fruit on a plate and surrounding it with water, you can keep any ants away from your butterflies’ food.^{[1]
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- Bees and wasps will also eat the fruit you leave out, so be careful so you or your family do not get stung.
- Use sugar water on the bottom plate to give your butterflies a sweet drink.
- Some birds may eat the fruit you leave out as well, but may grow disinterested when the fruit is overripe.^{[2]
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2
Wrap wires around a tree branch if you want to hang fruit. Use a heavy gauge copper wire to form simple hooks. Space the hooks 6 inches (15 cm) apart along a tree branch in your yard. Once you hang the hooks on the branch, simply stab the fruit onto the hooks for an instant feeding station.^{[3]
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- Fruit can also be stabbed through sturdy twigs attached to the main branch for a more natural feeder.
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3
Build a hanging fruit tray from a plastic lid for a homemade feeder. Use a hole punch to make 3 holes equal distances apart around the perimeter of a plastic lid from a large yogurt container. String a piece of twine through each of the holes twice and tie a knot to hold it secure. Tie the pieces of twine together at the top so you can hang the fruit tray anywhere in your yard. Place fruit pieces on the tray to attract butterflies.^{[4]
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- Add colorful beads or silk flowers to the twine to make your feeder extra attractive for your butterflies.
- This is an easy and safe craft you can do with children!
4
Use vibrant colors in your designs. Even though butterflies have a great sense of smell and can probably find the fruit themselves, using bright colors will help attract them even more. Red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple decorations will bring more butterflies to your feeders.^{[5]
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- Use plates with bright flower designs on them or even keep real flowers by your fruit feeders!

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Setting out Fruit for Butterflies

1
Pick fruit that is ripe or overripe. Since butterflies can’t chew their food, they need to drink the juices. Fruit that just ripe or fruit that is starting to get mushy is the best to keep in your feeders. When it comes to feeding butterflies, the softer the fruit, the easier it is to eat.^{[6]
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- Butterflies aren’t picky when it comes to the fruit you leave out. Some commonly used fruits are mangos, watermelons, bananas, pineapples, oranges, and peaches.^{[7]
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  Research source} Experiment with different fruit to see what species you attract.
2
Cut the fruit into quarters to expose their flesh. A butterfly proboscis can’t penetrate the thick peels of fruit. Use a sharp knife to slice the fruit open so the inside flesh is easier to eat and drink.^{[8]
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Make slits in the piece of fruit so the butterflies can get the juice. In case the fruit still isn’t easy for a butterfly to eat, making multiple slits in the flesh of the fruit gives a space for the juice to collect. Using the same knife as before, make shallow cuts into each piece of fruit you’re leaving out.^{[9]
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- You can also scrape the fruit or stab multiple holes into it with the tines of a fork for a similar effect.
4
Move the fruit at night to prevent unwanted pests. Fruit left out overnight may attract raccoons or other destructive mammals to your yard. Store fruit in a cool place like a garage or shed overnight and put it back in the morning. As the fruit keeps rotting, it will get softer and easier for the butterflies to eat.^{[10]
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- Replace the fruit once the fruits have turned black or moldy.
- If you save the fruit, cut ¹⁄₈ inch (3.2 mm) into the fruit with a knife or fork each day so there is easy access to the juices.