Show me your butterfly houses!

I'm looking for inspiration. I won't have one for this winter but I plan to next winter. Soooooo........Show me your butterfly houses!!!!

Here's the one that Connie and I made a few months ago, from Cedar and fabric from Joann's. I'm pleased with it so far. It's 4ft wide, 2 ft. tall, and 2 ft. deep.

Janet

I'm wondering about the ones like birdhouses but with the slots instead of holes....for butterflies to go inside during the winter......I have a friend with one, she says they really use them. Anyone have those? I'm not quite up to collecting caterpillars yet, still trying to attract the BF's. I just got a pineleaf milkweed inTucson, though! I'm pretty thrilled with it :-)

Have never seen a butterfly use a 'butterfly house' - I believe those are geared towards the folks who want to add charm to their yard and spend money on something a butterfly won't use - but if anyone has a candid photo of a butterfly using one I'd like to see it...and no fair posting freshly eclosed butterflies on 'em :o)

Saw one at the bird seed shop. Fancy little shop with all kinds of goodies. Louvers on the front like a shutter. They even had I a Lady Bug house like the one I found at Goodwill for 1.99 only it was more like 30 bucks there. Came with eau de Lady bug fragrance, LOL I do have an abundance of Lady Bugs already so this will be the first year I tested it to see if they actually use it. Said to put dried leaves in it and up high so they could see the horizon so I did... We shall see.

I've done some reading up on them and it looks like only a couple would actually use it when they go into diopause (is that the right word?) and I won't have to worry about those anyways :-( So I guess I'll have them for decoration, they are very cute! BTW I would never buy something like that, we're very handy. Things like are so over priced. It would've been nice to draw some monarchs to overwinter here, though.

azreno - Trust me, I rarely see any butterflies or cats using mine. I've had it in the garden for 2 years and I get LOTS of butterflies. I honestly think it is more for looks. And the lizards use it! LOL Probably hoping some unsuspecting butterfly or cat will crawl right in there and be dinner! Mine is strictly for looks and conversation in my garden. Always has people asking if butterflies really use the house! lol It just adds a little charm to my garden and a reminder why I planted the garden in the first place - for the butterflies, of course! And my pleasure watching them! :-)

Also, here is the thread that was started here just a month or so ago that was just about the cat cages:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/643281/

Edited: That link was actually started back in August and had over 90 replies! Check it out. Lots of info on cat cages!

This message was edited Nov 19, 2006 9:52 PM

This is what I use and I have let out about 35 butterflies this year alone. I have a problem in my garden with wasps eating the larvae and the crystalis and so I keep butterfly weed in this in jars and cans and add the larvae as I find them into this netted sanctuary, until they hatch. The top has a zipper, so that it opens 1/2 way and then there is a small side zipper. The larvae seem very happy to eat and crawl around and then they go up to the top to go into crystalis. It has really helped my problem and saved many monarchs. I still have lots of them in my garden and many more yet to come. I'm leaving them out in the garden now, as the wasps seem to be gone and I have tons of butterfly weed growing.

I really like the picture of the big house - looks like it might be easier, but this has worked real well. I got it at a nursery last year.

graciemae - Your cage is the exact one that I have. (I actually have 4 because I raise quite a few and they don't all fit with a plant in just one cage. I bought them real cheap about 2 years ago.) I also seperate different species of caterpillars by cage. And also by size. I like those cages because they can be cleaned with water and a little bleach after each use. It helps cut down on cat viruses that sometimes goes around in the cage. And they fold up for storage which is a real plus for me!

But the hand made wooden cages are beautiful. More like a piece of furniture than a "cage". Janet's cage is beautiful, isn't it?!

It's great! I found that when I just cut pieces of butterfly weed off, or if I pull up small plants and keep them in water - after they're cleaned off, I pull them out and they re-leaf really quickly and I just keep moving them back and forth. I also keep one plant in that's in dirt and keep it watered. I have really enjoyed this, but don't think I could keep up with four. I've really only had monarchs in abundance this year. I see a few others dancing around, but not breeding.

Nice to visit with you.

graciemae - Pull up a comfy chair anytime and join us here at the Butterflies and Hummers forum! Thanks for your cage photo and info! :-) Always a pleasure to hear from other folks on DG!

Becky, didn't you post a link to where you bought your cage? I can not find what I am looking for. I decided that would be a perfect Christmas gift for someone to get me. I'd much rather have something I want!

The only thing I'm not sure about is the top. Does it only open half way? I've got a small one that is a friend's and it's so annoying because only half of the top has a zipper!

ps. I've always heard those butterfly houses were never used either. I think you are right about those lizards and wasps too!

This message was edited Nov 19, 2006 10:37 PM

Paige - The cage only opens half-way, but for me it has not been a problem. I just have to be careful not to "scrape" anything off the plant (like cats) when I remove plants from it! I'll look for the link to the online store later tonight. Gotta get ready for work. Remind me in a dmail, if I forget. :-)

Here's my bf house, oh and look it has a rare and exotic butterfly on it.....haha. I had it outside and the paint started peeling off so it now stays inside. I don't think any bfs used it, they're more for garden art.

Paige, here's where I got my pavilion which is similiar to Becky's. I only use it to put the Monarchs in after their wings have dried, set them in the sun and release. It opens halfway too, which is hard to get plants in and out of. There's an 8" zipper close to the bottom but it's so small, you can't even clean the bottom very well.

Paige - This is the website where I ordered my butterfly cages. They currently have their larger cage on sale for $12.95. I use only the larger cages because the milkweed plants that I have in pots won't fit in the smaller cage. There are other cages from other stores with different designs like a reptile cage and others, but they are considerably more expensive. I have a reptile cage, but I don't like it because the screen is dark (black) and it just isn't very attractive. But it does have the zipper that open all around.

Cages I have:
http://www.butterfly-gifts.com/1602-butterfly-house.html

Reptile cages:
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Reptarium_Cages_106210.html#descriptionLink

Definitely a nice Christmas or Birthday gift! :-)

I forgot to add the link, but mine is the same as Becky's.

Thanks! I think I'll ask for one anyways. The one I've borrowed is like the small one. I'm still thinking I'll build a larger wooden one this winter. That along with my wanting to redo an old metal birdbath and learn how to mosaic my ceramic birdbath!

I need a little butterfly house now just for decoration in my garden! It would be perfect with my birdhouses that look like dollhouses. :)

Thank you Becky. But I can't take all of the credit for how good my cage looks. I had the idea (thanks to all of you addicts here). But without Connie's pizzazz with a Ryobi, (both the skillsaw and the drill) I'd still be wanting the cage. I tried to convince my hubby that I wanted the cage. He couldn't see WHY. He's soooooooooo conservative. In addition, it's hunting season, so I knew that if I didn't enlist Connie's help, it would be the twelfth Sunday of Neverember before it would actually get built.

When I decided I wanted a cage, I printed out photos of all of them here that I liked. I read about what folks liked or wished they'd done differently. I took the photos over to Connie's and as always, whenever I have a wild hair, Connie said, Let's do it! We searched and searched for just the right screen. Being thrifty folks, and goodwill addicts, we searched diligently for sheer curtains. Didn't find doodly squat for about a week straight of looking almost every day. Then one day we went to JoAnn's Fabrics to see how much sheer fabric would be. Could be it would be cheaper than buying curtains from Goodwill that we would have to cut anyway. If it hadn't been for the cutting clerk at JoAnn's with a 50% off coupon in her pocket, it wouldn't have been as inexpensive. (I wonder now how much gas I spent searching.)

My hubby is a trim carpenter with a little building in the backyard just full of scraps of this and that, mainly cedar and trim type wood. I would have been perfectly content to have used scraps. When I approached him and told him that I wanted to raid his building for cedar, he said to go buy what I wanted. I was so much in shock because he is the kind of guy that straightens out nails to save money. I knew I wanted it big so I headed to Connie's to get a list (she is so good at figuring how much of what to get for any project) and then to the hardware store and bought what we thought we'd need for the job. It took Connie and I the whole weekend to build it. ONLY because Connie is soooooooo cautious and drilled pilot holes for EACH screw. That meant swapping the drill bit and the screwdrive bit about 100 times, one after the other. Since then we now have a quick release for those bits. Oh Connie's hands must have hurt fiercely after than weekend from swapping those bits out.

I knew when we built it that I'd probbly end up bringing it into the house, so I wanted it to look nice. I'm really proud of it and thanks to Connie's persnicketiness (and knowing that my hubby would be "nit-picking" the job he wasn't interested in, in the first place) it does look like a piece of furniture. The cats all seem to be happy. Well, there are those that sneak their way to the outside. But those are few and far between. BTW, hubby had a look of surprise when I asked him to help me unload it. He's had only good things to say about our handiwork. :-)

We just returned from hunting and brought back 2 unidentified cats in the "cat-ambulator" (little bug cage that I make him keep in his van, just in case he runs across them). At one point HE asked me if I wanted to go "cat hunting" while we were wandering through the woods. I think he realizes how much I've enjoyed this new hobby.

Yes, I'm addicted.... what can I say! It's y'all's fault!

Janet

Janet, I am curious. Cedar chests are used to store clothing to avoid insects, especially moths, etc. It is a natural insect repellant I believe. Does building your bf cage from cedar not effect them?
Oh, I love the comment about the "cat ambulator" and the DH offering to go "cat hunting". LOL!!

Oh and I am thrilled with my PVC cages I made. I can dissasemble them for storage too. I can't wait until next year when I will have more plants to attract them. And know what to look for thanks to this BF forum.
I did manage to get one gulf frit cat before it turned cold and it enclosed two days later. I am misting occassionally, so far so good. I still need to get a clear piece of mylar for my door.

G'Morning Sheila!

I don't know for sure about the cedar affecting the cats. Connie told me that there are several kinds of cedar. The kind for closets etc. is aromatic cedar. I don't think what I bought is the same thing because I can't smell it like I could if it was the aromatic kind. This cedar is "naturally" treated so it didn't need any type of coating to be protected outside. I like the way it looks. Hubby told me there is some kind of coating we could use to keep the cedar color from turning grey. He said it's pretty expensive stuff though. Hopefully he will have some leftovers from a job and I can scrounge some that way. If not, that's OK too.

It's 31 here right now. I'm thinking those are pretty lucky cats to be inside where all of their "relatives" are outside in this cold. The new guys, still unidentified because my eyeballs aren't really opened yet, look happy in the cage this morning.

My new monarchs (that I almost tossed out with shrivelled leaves the other day) are now about an inch long. Much easier for me to see now.

"persnicketiness" LOL Yep. But I'll bet you could build the next one, Janet, or anything else your little heart desires. Got her very own tools now! :) And experience!

Connie, I dobeleeeeve I could! :~)

Janet and Connie, you are lucky to have each other and both be interested in the same things, or at least do it for the other one. My husband is not handy building anything so I enlist my dad. He's great and gets the job done, but sometimes he has trouble measuring correctly! LOL...I would love to do it by myself this time just for the sake of it being done by...myself! I'll have to have help with the saws tho.

Do either of you make mosaic things? I am determined to learn to do it before next summer!

Janet, you are right about the different kinds. What you have is like the cedar fencing! So they aren't in danger, but in a beautifully designed cage!

Paige,

Connie is the one that has had experience with mosaics. She did a beautiful rooster on her kitchen floor. I hope she will put a photo here. I don't have one on my computers. She's got in her mind to do a mosaic lizard around the column of her house. In 3-D, no less. When she does something, it's bound to be spectacular. And that's not bragging, just stating the facts Ma'am! :-)

Thanks Sheila. I have really enjoyed it in the short time I've had it. The cats are enjoying it also..... which is even more important!

Janet

Wow, that Connie is something else! Wanna adopt another sister? :) I would love to see the rooster! Should I look over on the mosaic forum? (I need beginner's info...hint hint...books, anything)

Here it is. Nothing spectacular. lol Just a project I did to cover a mistake. :)
I'm no expert so you should post in the mosaic forum if you have questions about it. Yes I'm fixing to do a lizard in 3D It's next on the list...right after I finish the greenhouse I just started. I've been playing with the pics I found of lizards just to see how it would look and I think it'll be pretty cool.

Thanks for the compliments on the pond. Yes I did paint the scene on the fence. It's kinda cave-ish under the deck and I really want a waterfall with a scene in the background like it comes from somewhere else. That's another project on the list... the lizard IS next.

Aww thats too too cool Connie! Nice work!

Here's playing with one of the lizard mosaic pics I found in paint shop to see if I like it...Ya think?

Thanks debnes I'm pleased with it. It did what I intended when I started which was fix an error. Better than expected. Now I have another spot that has a tile with a crack in the entry from the dining room so I got to come up with some way to fix that spot too. Another small mosaic I'm figuring since I can't get any more of the gray tiles. Might as well.

AFTER the lizard. :)

That looks good Connie. I think though, that they oughta be different. You could have his tongue coming out to eat a mosquito or some other bug. I wonder if you could incorporate a big copper skeeter into the mosaic? Do lizards eat mosquitos?

How's the green house coming along? Did you all work on it today at all?

Rickly appreciated your covering the deck with plastic for me. He said ya did a great job! He sure wasn't looking forward to doing it himself.

Oooohhh what if you did one of the coulms as a flowering vine and parked the skeeter on the vine. The other column could be the lizard.

No they will be different I was just playing with the pic left and right. I only want one lizard on one... and an insect on the other is a good idea. ooooooooooooo yeah !

I have several lizards I like... that might not be THE one.

This message was edited Nov 23, 2006 9:55 PM

No we didn't work on it at all today but I did get James to look at how it's going so far. He drew me a plan. :) to show me how to do some suggestions on the joists he made on how to attatch the poly panels. And then said he'd come by Saturday morning with his tools to help if I wanted him to. YAY!!!!

Connie - What can I say? You have certainly got an artist's eye! Nice rooster mosaic! No, actually the word is beautiful! I really like your lizard idea, too. And I like Janet's idea, too! You both are so creative! Girls, a rock has more creativity and talent than I have so you both are off the charts in my book! Do post a photo when it's completed. Actually, Janet and Connie, post a photo of anything you do! I want to see it! Your ideas are so colorful, enchanting, and unique!

Do you supposed someday that Connie and Janet will be famous artists? Probably how many famous artists started.....making something for someone and from there the creative juices began rolling! :-) :-) :-)

But usually the artists had to be deceased before they become famous! LOL SO I don't wanna be famous! I got too much I want to do!

LOL! You're probably correct on that assumption! LOL!

Great work! (am watching the thread now) I can't wait to see what you do with these columns. You apparently don't have a HOA. ;) It sure makes me want to do something. My brain doesn't just come up with things on it's own either Becky. No one will ever know that we copied it from Connie and Janet tho. LOL!