Science Connections for Elementary Students: Butterfly Baiting

Baiting or luring butterflies to the schoolyard allows kids to observe these delicate winged insects. With this sticky nectar, there is no need to plant and care for a flower garden. Simply mix up the gooey formula and put kids to work painting a trail to lead butterflies to your window.

Mash two to three overripe bananas until they are smooth. Place in a bucket with a handle.

Add one bottle of molasses and a pound of brown sugar. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Sally Roth, author or Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard, recommends adding a bottle of beer to the recipe, but substituting fruit juice is a better choice for a school project. If preferred, allow fruit juice to set at room temperature for several days to begin the fermentation process before making the butterfly bait.

Mix all ingredients to form a sticky sweet nectar.

Provide children with a wide paintbrush and allow them to paint the sticky nectar on trees, posts or rocks to attract butterflies and insects. Although the nectar is sticky, it will not harm trees or buildings and can be washed away with soap and water.

Make a trail, painting nectar on rocks or trees every 5 to 10 feet. This allows groups of children to observe butterflies at separate locations, once they appear.

A sponge soaked in the butterfly bait and hung from a tree branch also works well to attract butterflies. Hanging the sponge near eye level for your students allows them to observe butterflies closeup.

Science connections: Provide elementary students with science journals to record their observations and sketch butterflies. Challenge students to identify butterflies by their colors and characteristics, identify body parts and their use.

Literacy Connections: Research the specific butterflies observed on the butterfly trail, use science vocabulary for spelling and reading comprehension activities, read fictional stories about butterflies and provide writing prompts related to butterflies.

Math Connections: Make graphs and charts of the number of butterflies observed, types of butterflies, or size of butterflies. Sort butterflies into categories based on color, size or other attributes.

Art Connections: Provide students with an outline of a butterfly on heavyweight paper. Allow students to fill in the wings with bits of tissue paper. Make handprint butterflies, cut out and hang from the ceiling or attach to bulletin boards.

Baiting or luring butterflies to the yard gets kids involved and provides a hands on activity that appeals to children. Painting the gooey nectar is sure to have them giggling and builds anticipation as they wait for those winged beauties to appear.

SOURCES:
Sally Roth. Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard. 2001
Care2 Make a Difference: Butterfly Bait