Butterfly Challenge!

Congrats!  Woolies is the winner of the Butterfly Challenge!!!
  Thank you all so much for doing a part to bring back the butterflies!

Okay, it’s been a while since I posted… as usual…  Sorry about that!

For the first time in the nearly 10 years we have lived in our house, we have a caterpillars!  Perhaps it’s due to our allergies keeping us from getting the weeds pulled, or maybe it has just taken this long for the property to recover from whatever the previous owners might have done or not done (like having any plants).   Whatever the reason, it has been fun to watch these guys creeping across our patio!  Just this morning, my youngest wanted to hold of on his chore of sweeping the patio until the caterpillar was safely away (too bad my camera battery was charging).

Just today, I got an email from the National Wildlife Federation expressing concern over the very low numbers of butterflies and asking for help.  This has inspired me to get a move on getting our yard certified.  It may take some time for us to set up a water feature, but it’s already in the planning stages.  One of the things we would like to do is create a butterfly (and hummingbird) habitat.  I thought it would be fun to put out a challenge over the next two weeks to others to do the same!  Let’s hear and see what you come up with! 

Comment with what you have done to help butterflies during this time, and you will be entered to win a smaller version of the playset above (house not included, it WILL include a fairy princess similar to above (or prince), a butterfly, a dragonfly, several “mossy” stones, some feathery plants, a pond, a couple of blossoms, and a little playmat to house it all)!  Blog about what you have done and/or this giveaway/challenge and you’ll be entered again.  Get certified by the NWF (see below) and get TWO more entries!  Just leave a comment for each thing that you do! 

Okay, here’s the letter from the NWF with a few of the included tips below:
Here are a few simple ideas to help attract all kinds of butterflies (as well as birds and other wildlife too!):
  • Plant native, colorful flowering plants to provide nectar
  • Provide a shallow water dish as a place to get a drink
  • Include milkweed host plants to serve as larval, or caterpillar, food 
  • Offer dense shrubs to provide shelter

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16 Responses to Butterfly Challenge!

  1. SewnNatural July 2, 2010 at 1:49 pm #

    What a fabulous idea! We are trying to turn our little tiny urban yard into an organic garden with raised bed cedar boxes, a bat sanctuary (with a fabulous new bat house) and also a bee and butterfly-friendly place, with coneflowers, and phlox and lots of colorful perennials.

    Thanks for entering me – your playset is beautiful!

  2. BirchLeaf Designs - Wendy and Mojo July 2, 2010 at 2:30 pm #

    Butterflies are awesome! We have planted lots of flowers this year – mostly native but some not. We also leave water out on the tops of lids of 5 gallon buckets…we use sticks so insects don't drown. We also have 2 hives of bees!

  3. BirchLeaf Designs - Wendy and Mojo July 2, 2010 at 3:39 pm #

    I blogged about it too with a link back to your blog!

  4. BirchLeaf Designs - Wendy and Mojo July 2, 2010 at 4:26 pm #

    Oh, here's the link:
    http://birchleafdesigns.blogspot.com/

  5. woolies July 2, 2010 at 5:26 pm #

    I love this idea. Even in the desert, we see butterflies. We do have native flowering plants that attract them, and I do have a birdbath that I fill with water. We also have bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder (that hasn't really attracted any….), and will have to think about more things we can do to attract the butterflies. Also in the plans for around here – creating a habitat for desert tortoises, and adopting one! I'll blog about this giveaway!

  6. themagiconions July 2, 2010 at 10:08 pm #

    Oh, what a blessing butterflies are! We LOVE them too. We have planted mildweed and have delighted in seeing them flutter around the bush.
    What a lovely informative post – and such a sweet give-away… thank you!
    Blessings and magic,
    Donni – Fairyfolk

  7. Yarn Miracle July 3, 2010 at 2:59 am #

    We've got the dense shrubs thing covered (only what's closest to the house is mowed). They butterflies in our yard are especially happy with the overgrowth of lantana, although there seem to be fewer this year. There are fewer dragonflies too. We had hard freezes every night for two weeks this past winter and I worry that had an impact.

  8. victoria July 3, 2010 at 6:05 am #

    We just planted some lantana by our mailbox, and we left the milkweed plants standing, just cleared the weeds around them. There was a monarch flitting around yesterday, seeming to bless the whole planting process!

    Your work is beautiful, and we'd love to win!

  9. mrsbeccijo July 5, 2010 at 11:06 am #

    Great information and lovely giveaway. No matter where we live we always try to have a garden that is full of flower and a great habitat for bugs, butterflies, birds and all!
    We would love to win!

  10. mrsbeccijo July 5, 2010 at 11:07 am #

    I made an Etsy treasurt with this theme and information.
    http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c321c0e0a006d9162e4756f/save-the-butterflies

  11. mrsbeccijo July 5, 2010 at 11:08 am #

    I tweeted and made a blog post with a link back to your blog.

  12. MuddyFeet July 7, 2010 at 6:18 pm #

    It's wonderful to see what everyone is doing! Thank you all for sharing the info!

  13. Tana July 13, 2010 at 9:02 am #

    We recently took out a large section of our oversized driveway and turned it into a clover patch… and keep our yard chemical-free with a good mix of flowers and garden space and trees and bushes.

    I looked into getting certified, and it looks like we already qualify!

    Great challenge, and love your work. Thank you!

  14. Tana July 14, 2010 at 7:21 am #

    I blogged too… first time in a long time, but I did it. 🙂 Hopefully my faithful reader+sister will join me in the challenge.
    http://tana.volcano-house.com

  15. Tana July 14, 2010 at 7:31 am #

    Also… I did it! I got certified! Even ordered a sign, to hopefully help sway the opinions of some of my neighbors, all of whom have yards heavy in chemically-treated lawns. I'm so excited! Thanks for posting this challenge!

  16. MuddyFeet July 18, 2010 at 11:03 am #

    Thank you all so much for participating! Congrats to Woolies, our winner!

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