Butterflies Enjoy Bee Sugar Syrup, Too

Black swallowtail butterfly visits one of my bird baths hosting bees.

Butterflies Enjoy Bee Sugar Syrup, Too

When I have extra sugar water I feed hummingbirds, or even extra sugar syrup from feeding beginning bee colonies, I like to pour it into a bird bath so I can watch my bees.

Bees don't only carry nectar back to their hives, they will also collect sugar water. Although not as good as flower-produced nectar, sugar syrup gives bees the energy they need to keep going.

This sugar water is two parts water to one part sugar, the sugar syrup designed to encourage bees to store it for winter.

Although bees do enjoy sugar syrup in the summer, the goal of nectar and sugar syrup is to store it for winter consumption.

Black swallowtail butterflies also enjoy sugar water that attracts bees.

Butterflies don't store sugar syrup, they just enjoy what they find. I have both yellow and black swallowtail butterflies in my garden although I only see the black ones visiting the bee bar.

Honeybees share their bee bar of sugar water with black swallowtail butterflies in my garden.

This bee bar is a bird bath with rocks and sticks as safe landing spots for all visitors.

Do you see butterflies in your garden?

Charlotte