Athena Rayne Anderson

This post was originally published in August 2012, on my blog “Pollinators Info” (no longer online).

Put out some ripe fruit

Did you know that some butterflies feed exclusively from ripe fruit, tree sap, even dung and carrion? It’s true! These species, such as the lovely commas (Polygonia), don’t serve as important pollinators because they don’t visit flowers. However, there are many butterfly species that are both pollinators AND fruit-feeders!

Painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) and question marks (Polygonia interrogationis) are two species that feed from rotting fruit AND serve as flower pollinators. The featured photo is of a painted lady.

Make your yard a haven for butterflies that are fruit-feeders and pollinators by setting out a fruit feeding station. This is really easy to do and all you really need is overripe fruit, a plate, and a stand:

• Elevate your feeding station to deter fire ants (which could kill the butterflies) by using a log, chair, or anything you have handy that is at least 2′ tall.
• Open your fruit by peeling bananas and splitting them down the middle, or breaking other fruits in half so the butterflies can get to the insides.
• Put your fruit pieces on a plate, set the plate on your elevated stand, and watch through a window to see who visits!

Your fruit feeding station will definitely attract other visitors- look for fruit flies, birds, and beetles too! Many of these other visitors are also pollinators, so have fun identifying them!

Have you used a fruit feeding station before? Tell us where you live and who stopped by in the comments below!

Get to know your butterflies with a field guide! There are butterfly guides to almost every region of the world! For the eastern US, I like the Peterson guide, A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies.

Featured image is from Debbie Koenigs/USFWS, August 14, 2017, in the public domain.