Any idea on ways to give butterflies a drink? I have a shallow dish filled with small stones that I keep topped up for bees etc but would butterflies use it?
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raisingirlEast Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 4,054
edited July 2018
yes probably. We have a spring and the overflow from it trickles down the drive making a series of shallow puddles in the mud. At the moment, all sorts of creatures are visiting. The birds are using the deeper bits - often see the wagtails in there of a morning with their little tiny loofahs (no, I know they don't really, but it looks exactly like they do, the way the preen and wiggle) the swallows have stopped picking up mud now, they just feed on all the insects along there of an evening. The butterflies seem to use the very soft mud rather than anything that looks like water to me. Perhaps you could add a little gravel or grit at one end of your dish so the water is just barely on the surface?
“It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.”
―
Terry Pratchett
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debs64West Midlands, on the edge of the Black Country Posts: 3,066
Will try that as reading on another post that many butterflies died after the drought of "76 To be honest there are lots everywhere at the moment, bees too obviously enjoying the sunshine!
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raisingirlEast Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 4,054
I think part of the problem in '76 was that flowers died so the butterflies had no food as well as limited water
“It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.”
―
Terry Pratchett
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debs64West Midlands, on the edge of the Black Country Posts: 3,066
That's an incentive to keep my buddleias watered!
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raisingirlEast Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 4,054
Or at least keep dead heading
“It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it.”
―
Terry Pratchett
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To be honest there are lots everywhere at the moment, bees too obviously enjoying the sunshine!