Butterfly house, as the name suggests, is a place where butterflies can seek shelter and even stay on for some time. These are man-made houses for the butterflies. It can be used for ornamental and decorative purposes, to protect butterflies, for gardening, butterfly breeding, and even research purposes. Normally these houses look similar to bird houses. On a large scale, these houses can be a covered and protected vast area, which is full of butterflies. It will serve as a natural habitat. For butterfly zoos, the covering material will be glass, so that the people can see the butterflies in the house.

A small house to be installed in your garden can be made of wood or any other durable and heat resistant material. It can be installed on poles or on tree branches or simply on the ground. There will be small openings suited for letting the butterflies inside. You can buy these houses or even make your own butterfly house using household supplies. In a typical house, keep some twigs and leaves to let the butterflies feel at home.

Installing a butterfly house in the garden does not necessarily mean that butterflies will make their home in it. There must be flowers and greenery around. Nectar sources nearer to the house will help attract the butterflies. Also you must ensure that the house is safe for the creatures. Sometimes the butterflies may stay for a day or two and leave. In other cases, they may stay for longer. When they stay longer there are chances for laying eggs. So if you wish to have caterpillars and more butterflies, you can plant those plants which are preferred by butterflies to lay eggs. The host plant for egg laying differs from species to species.

Decorated houses are available widely now. These can be installed in the garden or even within your living room to add to the beauty. There are several stores which offer custom designed butterfly houses. The decorated ones are a bit costlier than the regular ones. This is because of the materials being used in the construction of the house. The purely decorative purpose butterfly houses may not serve as shelter for the butterflies. These may not have proper interior arrangements for the creatures. So, if you plan to have a butterfly house, which is ornamental as well as serves as home for the creatures, you can specify it during the order.

These houses are therefore, initiatives to add life to your home as well as protect the nature and its creatures. The butterflies will help in the pollination of your plants and make them reproduce and thrive. So, giving them shelter is a good way to enrich your garden also.

Such houses are available at reasonable prices at a lot of online stores. Once you purchase the house you will be instructed on how to install, maintain, and clean the house.