Butterfly House Instructions
Butterflies add an element of beauty to the gardens they visit. Attract butterflies to your garden by planting colorful flowers that produce sweet-tasting nectar. When butterflies come to your garden you can help protect them and give them a place to rest by building a simple butterfly house using an oatmeal box.
Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Oatmeal box with lid, 16 inch diameter
- Damp cloth
- Tape measure
- Marker
- Hole-punch
- 5-inch by 1/2-inch cardboard template
- Utility knife
- Paint brush
- Latex exterior house paint, orange, red, blue, purple and yellow
- 30-inches sturdy cording
- Small branch
- Shepherd's hook
Instructions
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1
Cover your work area with newspaper. Remove the lid from the oatmeal box. Wipe out the box with a damp cloth.
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2
Measure around the top edge of the oatmeal box with a tape measure. Make a mark every two inches all the way around, using the marker. Most common-brand oatmeal boxes are 16-inches in diameter so there will be eight marks.
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3
Punch holes around the top edge of the oatmeal box with the hole-punch ½ inch from the top lip of the oatmeal box at each mark to form air holes for the butterfly house. Press hard to push the hole-punch past the plastic lip where the lid attaches.
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4
Choose four spots on one side of the box where you would like to make openings for the butterflies to enter. Position the cardboard template at each spot and trace around it with the marker. Set the template aside.
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5
Cut out the cardboard inside the trace marks to make butterfly doors that look like slits, using the utility knife. Tip the oatmeal box upside down on the newspaper.
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6
Dip the paintbrush in the blue paint and apply a thin coat of paint to the bottom of the box. Allow the paint to dry. Apply a second thin coat of paint to the bottom of the box.
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7
Pour a small amount of paint from each paint can into separate containers. Dip the paintbrush into one color of paint and apply a thin coat of paint to one area of the box. Repeat with the other colors until the entire outside of the box is covered with different colors of paint to simulate garden colors.
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8
Thread the cord through two holes at the top edge of the box, directly across from each other, to make a handle for the box. Bring the ends of the cord together over the opening and tie a secure knot.
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9
Place the branch inside the oatmeal box. Replace the lid on the box.
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10
Choose a sunny area of your garden where there are a lot of colorful, sweet-smelling flowers to put the butterfly house. Push the base of the shepherd's hook into the ground until it feels sturdy. Hang your butterfly house on the shepherd's hook.
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Tips & Warnings
To keep the cardboard from warping, apply two thin coats of paint to the bottom of the box instead of one thick coat.
Dig a small hole in the ground under the butterfly house where you can place a shallow container of water to act as a puddle so the butterflies have a place to get a drink.
You can clean out and check inside the butterfly house by taking the lid off the top.
A parent should supervise cutting the slits in the box.
Make sure there are no underground wires where you put the shepherd's hook in the ground.
References
- Photo Credit Butterfly image by Dennis Carrigan from Fotolia.com
