Why Are Butterfly Houses Important?

Habitat

• Butterflies need food, water and shelter. Butterflies primarily feed on flower nectar. The nectar provides nutrients such as sugar, water, proteins and amino acids. A variety of flowers meet the needs of butterflies, from long tubular flowers suited to the insect's feeding tube, to broad, flat flowers offering a resting spot. Butterflies need water. They get moisture not from deep pools, but from water droplets, damp sand or shallow puddles. Butterflies need shelter for feeding, resting, mating and laying eggs. Shelter includes places such as tall flowers, shrubs or butterfly houses protected from wind.

Decorative Houses

• Small butterfly houses suited to backyards or other urban areas look much like bird houses, but access is through slits, not holes. In theory, a butterfly slips in through slits that accommodate its wings, but not a predator. Sold in garden centers and through garden catalogs, these butterfly houses are round, square, plain or painted. Some organizations provide plans for homemade butterfly houses made from gourds, wood or netting. Like ornamental bird houses, the butterfly houses are not practical for housing or protecting most butterflies. Their importance lies in encouraging backyard habitats suited to local and migrating butterflies. Once the decorative house is in the yard, butterfly fanciers create an adjacent butterfly garden beneficial to the butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Educational Houses

• Botanical and zoological gardens encourage butterflies. Many provide outdoor gardens planted for native and migratory butterflies, while others offer glass conservatories where visitors enjoy and interact with live butterflies. Within the enclosed butterfly houses, visitors learn the importance of preserving butterfly habitat and avoiding ecological practices that destroy butterfly species. These educational programs range from simple butterfly exhibits to complex programs on restoring native species. The butterfly houses educate through tours, activities and observation

Importance

• Butterfly houses are portals to understanding the Lepidoptera and their role in natural life. Observing butterflies within the context of a backyard or butterfly zoo sparks interest in promoting the colorful fliers. Butterflies pollinate flowers, are part of the food chain and delight butterfly enthusiasts. In some regions, their population fluctuations are indicators of wildlife habitat problems and urban environmental health. When butterflies die, the attributing factors may be pesticides, pollution or other causes that also affect human lifespan.