One of my favorite butterflies to raise is the Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). It’s an easy species to attract to your garden. You just need to provide their host plants on which the females lay their eggs, including Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Rue or Golden Alexander and they will find them.
The beautiful Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) butterfly and five of its host plants, including common herbs: Dill, Fennel, and Parsley.Female Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly ovipositing an egg on Fennel. Look closely at the end of her abdomen. Can you see the cream-colored egg?Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly eggs on Rue and Fennel leaves.
Once you find the eggs or tiny caterpillars, remove the leaves or pieces of the plant they are on and place them inside a small plastic cup with a lid. This keeps the tiny caterpillars from escaping.) Do not punch holes.
Keep them inside the cup until after they hatch and for a few days. Then you can place them inside a larger container. I like to use salad containers from fast-food restaurants, but you can use any container with a lid. I use a pushpin to punch air holes in the lid. Line the bottom of the container with a paper towel or coffee filter. Be sure to provide plenty of the host plant leaves on which you found the eggs and/or caterpillars.
Use a pushpin to punch air holes in the lid of the container.This easy-to-assemble habitat is nothing more than a fast-food salad container lined with a coffee filter. A few holes punched in the top with a push pin complete the project. These Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars are dining on Curly Parsley.I call this my caterpillar condo.
Check on your caterpillars each day to make sure they have enough food to feast on. Once they get bigger you will need to empty the fecal droppings (known as frass) each day and add a new coffee filter or paper towel plus fresh food.
Caterpillars make a mess! Be sure to clean your cage every day to keep your caterpillars healthy and happy.
When they are ready to pupate, they will crawl to the top of the lid and make their chrysalis. Many people like to put sticks inside the container for them to use, but that is not necessary. However, it can be fun to see the different colors the chrysalis becomes.
The caterpillar will crawl to the top and spin a silk girdle on the container lid before it sheds its skin for the final time.Chameleon-like, the Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillar will pupate with colors that match its surroundings in order to camouflage itself.A newly-emerged female Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly ready for its first flight
It usually takes about two weeks for the butterfly to emerge from the chrysalis. You can then experience the joy of holding and releasing your new butterfly.
While many butterflies daintily sip nectar from blooming flowers, others follow their wilder cravings—drawn to the rich, fermenting sugars of overripe fruit. Incorporating a fruit feeder into your butterfly garden offers more than just a sweet gesture—it caters to species that thrive on the nutrients found in rotten fruit. For these butterflies, nectar is not enough; they seek the deep, juicy sustenance that only fruit can provide.
A couple of Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies enjoy sips of sweet fruit juice on a summer afternoon. By placing sliced oranges and watermelon inside a suet bird feeder you can make this simple butterfly feeder.
Why Fruit Attracts Butterflies
Butterflies are attracted to the sugary liquids found in fruit. As fruits ripen, they release sugars and other compounds that butterflies find appealing. Overripe or rotting fruits become softer and more liquid, making their juices easier to access. The fermentation process in overripe fruits can also release scents that appeal to butterflies.
Butterflies have a straw-like proboscis, which is a modified mouthpart that allows them to sip liquids. They can’t chew solid food, so they use their proboscis to access the juices from the fruit.
A Red-spotted Purple enjoys feeding on cantaloupe.
🔎 Species to Watch For
Species especially drawn to fruit include Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta), Question Marks (Polygonia interrogationis), Red-Spotted Purples (Limenitis arthemis), Hackberry Emperors (Asterocampa celtis), Viceroys (Limenitis archippus), and Commas (Polygonia c-album) and Question Marks (Polygonia interrogationis). These butterflies are known for their fondness of fermented sugars and may visit regularly if fruit is available.
A sweet orange set out on my deck railing attracted this Viceroy butterfly.
🍊How to Create a Simple Fruit Feeder
The National Wildlife Federation suggests using a plate and adding fruit that is going bad. Place pieces of overripe fruit in a shallow dish and place it outside. The mixture can be kept moist by adding water or fruit juice. Add a splash of beer or wine to enhance fermentation and a dash of salt to attract more butterflies.
My friend, Jill Streit-Murphy of Building a Butterfly Garden, hangs out a rotten banana in her garden. There are so many butterflies you can’t even see the fruit!
A mass of Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) butterflies marauding a rotting banana still in its peel. • Copyright by Jill Streit-Murphy. Used with permission.
🚫Keep Ants Away
Hang your fruit feeder with an ant guard to prevent invasions. Options include water-filled guards with a drop of oil, or those with enclosed pesticide elements that don’t contact the butterflies.
An ant guard is an essential equipment when using a butterfly feeder. Click here or on photo to view a variety of ant guards.
🍌 Banana Brew for the Bold
The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, makes a Banana Brew” and paints the mixture on stumps and logs placed throughout their nature preserve. Many of the tropical butterflies found in the sanctuary and be found feeding on the banana brew making it a perfect place to observe and photograph butterflies.
A Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) and Tropical Leafwing (Anaea aidea) feed on the sweet “Butterfly Brew” at the National Butterfly Center outdoor butterfly conservatory in Mission, Texas.
🍌 Butterfly Brew Recipe
Here’s a basic version you can try at home: 8-10 Overripe bananas (mashed) 2 cups brown sugar or molasses 1 16 oz Dark Beer
Blend until smooth. Should be the consistency of cake batter. Let the mixture keep on counter overnight to fefment, then store in fridge.
🖌️ How to Use It
Mix ingredients until you get a thick, sticky paste.
Paint it onto logs, tree trunks, or flat stones in your garden.
Place in shaded areas where butterflies like to rest.
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) feeds on butterfly brew placed on a rotting log.
Quick Tips for Fruity Butterfly Feasting
🍉 Best Fruit Choices
Use soft, overripe fruits like bananas, peaches, oranges, apples, watermelon and cantaloup and strawberries
Avoid citrus peels or underripe fruit—they’re tougher and less appealing
☀️ When to Place Feeders
Late summer and early fall often bring more fruit-feeding visitors
Warm, sunny days help release fruity scents that attract butterflies
🍽️ Placement Matters
Set fruit out near resting spots like logs, rocks, or garden benches
Shade helps slow down fruit decay and keeps butterflies cool
🚫 Ant-Proofing Tricks
Use hanging dishes with water-filled ant guards
Apply petroleum jelly around feeder edges to deter crawlers
📸 Butterfly Watching Bonus
Early morning and mid-afternoon are prime times for fruit-feeding activity
Keep your camera ready—some fruit lovers are bold and photogenic!
When they are ready to pupate, they will crawl to the top of the lid and make their chrysalis. Many people like to put sticks inside the container for them to use, but that is not necessary. However, it can be fun to see the different colors the chrysalis becomes.
Why Fruit Attracts Butterflies
