Article: Butterflies love to soak up the sun while resting on a nice, warm rock, especially early in the morning. By including these rocks in your garden, the butterflies will have a chance to get warmed up before they start feeding for the day. Try to place the rocks so the sun hits them first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. This is when butterflies need the most warmth. Butterflies typically won’t try to drink out of a deep water source like a pond or a birdbath. Instead, they prefer to get their moisture from damp earth. To help ensure your butterflies have plenty to drink, create a small area filled with sand, then pour water onto the sand whenever it seems dry. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can fill a shallow saucer with sand, then add a little water every day or so, or as needed. A butterfly box is similar to a bird house, but it has slatted openings. You can hang your butterfly box in a tree, on the side of a shed, or place it on a stake if you’d like to put one in your garden. It will provide shelter to your butterflies during rough weather or at night when they’re sleeping.  The slatted openings should keep birds and bats from getting into the butterfly box. If you have a large garden, you may want to include more than one box. While your butterflies should get all of the nutrients they need from the nectar plants in your garden, they may enjoy an extra treat if you’d like to include one. Early in the morning, place out a small tray filled with cut-up pieces of fruit, including the flesh and the peels.. Butterflies like Admirals and Red-Spotted Purples especially love sliced oranges, pears, or melons. If you want to ensure your butterflies always have something to eat, even when your garden isn’t in bloom, you can hang a butterfly feeder in your garden. Fill the feeder with nectar, then place the feeder on a stake or hang it from a tree near your garden.  You can find butterfly feeders and nectar at most garden supply stores. You can also make your own butterfly food by mixing 1 part sugar with 1 part water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then wait for it to cool before you add it to the feeder. A hummingbird feeder won’t work for butterflies, since those are designed for the birds’ long, narrow beaks.

What is a summary?
Include 1 or 2 large, flat rocks in your butterfly garden. Provide a patch of wet sand where the butterflies can drink. Set up a butterfly box if you want to give extra shelter. Put out a tray of fruit scraps if you want to provide extra food. Hang a butterfly feeder in your garden for a steady source of nectar.