Feeding Butterflies
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Feeding Butterflies

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In this week's edition of Growing at Reiman Gardens, Butterfly Wing Curator, Nathan Brockman, highlights various butterfly feeding methods used in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. These methods may be adapted for use in any garden. Many butterflies prefer feeding from nectar plants, such as the Common Lantana (Lantana camara), Egyptian Star Cluster (Pentas lanceolata), Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus), Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), Flame of the Woods (Ixora coccinea), Panama Rose (Rondeletia leucophylla), and the Pygmy Melon (Psiguria umbrosa). Other feeding methods used at Reiman Gardens include preparing artificial nectars of sugar water and pollen or a dilute Gatorade solution, rotten fruit, and sap blocks. Butterflies will also display a behavior called puddling, in which individuals will take in minerals and salts from moist areas.