Too Many Lemons? Use Them To Attract Butterflies And Bring Color To Your Garden

If you want to start your own edible garden, a handful of fresh herbs and small fruits is a great way to go. It also makes a great accent to decorative flowers and shrubs, adding more depth and utility to your garden and allowing you to grow ingredients for later use in the kitchen. Lemons are an especially handy fruit for those who love making lemonade and any number of other tart and tangy dishes. In fact, citrusy fruits are the key to attracting butterflies to your garden. Planting lemon trees is an excellent means of getting more butterflies to your garden, as is using leftover lemon rinds. Much like orange peels can be used to deter patio pests, so too can the peel of a lemon be used to bring pollinators like butterflies and bees to your garden.

Be sure to use fresh, ripe, and juicy lemons and leave them cut open for butterflies to nosh on. Put lemon slices or peels in a shallow dish surrounded by water to attract butterflies while keeping ants at bay. As a note, this method will also attract bees and wasps, so be sure to exercise caution. Make sure to change out your fruit daily so as not to attract any other unwanted critters that might want to feast on something moldy and less desirable. Swallowtail butterflies certainly have a taste for lemons, so keep an eye out for these delicate and gorgeous creatures.

There are so many different types of lemons, each of which is unique in its own way. When it comes to planting citrus trees to attract butterflies, you'll definitely want to consider both the kind of butterflies you wish to attract and what other culinary applications you intend for your growing lemon, be it in a drink, dessert, or elsewhere. Meyer lemons are especially useful in cooking and are particularly attractive to swallowtail butterflies, making them an ideal addition to your garden. Most citrus trees that are showing signs of new growth will attract butterflies.

If your kitchen is overflowing with lemons, cutting up the overripe fruit and setting it out where you can see butterflies outside your window is a perfect means of natural home decor. You can also later add these fruit leftovers to your compost pile after switching them out for fresher versions to garner more fluttering friends. Whether in a tree or a shallow dish with water, lemons make a beautiful addition to your garden and bring even more natural beauty from visiting butterflies.