Create A Monarch Butterfly Garden
Gardening is a simple and nice hobby. If you are not familiar and this is your first step with gardening then you might find it a bit difficult. But, fear not as it doesn\’t last forever. You will get a grasps of gardening in no time. Overall, gardening is a very enjoying activity, which you will truly appreciate as soon as you know what you\’re doing.
We tend to try different things for our gardens. We love to try out different styles and designs for our gardens, which is why experimenting with new ideas can be fun. We already have a beautiful garden and want to add more to it. What can we do? Creating a monarch butterfly garden seems to be the right thing to do. It\’s different and fun. The finished project will look much better and what\’s more, it\’s not that common to find a monarch butterfly garden so the result would definitely be very pleasing to the eyes certainly.
There is always a joy on watching monarch butterflies. This is a perfect project for children who enjoy fun and easy yard activities that are not complicated to be constructed. Here are the steps on how you can do it.
You will need:
- Butterfly weed seeds or plants
- Shallow dish for butterfly bath
- Handful of sand
- A small and sunny area
- Smooth pebbles
Steps:
- First, plant the butterfly weed in a place that gets some sunlight and in a place that is easy to see from a window or your backyard seating area. You will want a good view when the monarch butterflies arrive.
- To make an easy butterfly bath, put some sand in a shallow dish. Place a few smooth pebbles and rocks for the butterflies to rest on and don\’t forget to add some water. Watch out for evaporation; make sure that the sand is kept moist all the time. However, do not let the rocks covered by the water. Place the bath on the ground or on a stand near the butterfly weed.
- Check the plants every day or other days for the monarch caterpillars in the summer. They will hatch from eggs and begin feeding on the plants. You don\’t have to worry as they only eat in a way that won\’t hurt the plants.
- Watch them every day to see them grow bigger once the caterpillar arrives. Eventually, they will leave the plant to find a safe place for the chrysalis process. Soon, you will see small whitish dots on the leaves which mean more eggs. These will hatch into more caterpillars.
- Look around the area and you might see a chrysalis hanging from a twig. Avoid the temptation to disturb the chrysalis. The caterpillar will continue its life cycle in the chrysalis. It will emerge as a beautiful monarch butterfly in about ten days.
Image Credit:
Additional Reading:
Nature\’s Gardens: Create a Haven for Birds, Butterflies-And Yourself! (Better Homes and Gardens)
