Butterfly Challenge!

Congrats!  Woolies is the winner of the Butterfly Challenge!!!

  Thank you all so much for doing a part to bring back the butterflies!

Okay, it's been a while since I posted... as usual...  Sorry about that!

For the first time in the nearly 10 years we have lived in our house, we have a caterpillars!  Perhaps it's due to our allergies keeping us from getting the weeds pulled, or maybe it has just taken this long for the property to recover from whatever the previous owners might have done or not done (like having any plants).   Whatever the reason, it has been fun to watch these guys creeping across our patio!  Just this morning, my youngest wanted to hold of on his chore of sweeping the patio until the caterpillar was safely away (too bad my camera battery was charging).

Just today, I got an email from the National Wildlife Federation expressing concern over the very low numbers of butterflies and asking for help.  This has inspired me to get a move on getting our yard certified.  It may take some time for us to set up a water feature, but it's already in the planning stages.  One of the things we would like to do is create a butterfly (and hummingbird) habitat.  I thought it would be fun to put out a challenge over the next two weeks to others to do the same!  Let's hear and see what you come up with! 

Comment with what you have done to help butterflies during this time, and you will be entered to win a smaller version of the playset above (house not included, it WILL include a fairy princess similar to above (or prince), a butterfly, a dragonfly, several "mossy" stones, some feathery plants, a pond, a couple of blossoms, and a little playmat to house it all)!  Blog about what you have done and/or this giveaway/challenge and you'll be entered again.  Get certified by the NWF (see below) and get TWO more entries!  Just leave a comment for each thing that you do! 

Okay, here's the letter from the NWF with a few of the included tips below:

Butterfly numbers plummeting - help them today

Here are a few simple ideas to help attract all kinds of butterflies (as well as birds and other wildlife too!):

• Plant native, colorful flowering plants to provide nectar
• Provide a shallow water dish as a place to get a drink
• Include milkweed host plants to serve as larval, or caterpillar, food 
• Offer dense shrubs to provide shelter