Slots cut just under 20 mm — wide enough for a Peacock or a Comma to crawl in with folded wings, too narrow for sparrows and blue tits looking for a roost.
Final collection from Earl's workshop
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13 currently in carts
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17 pieces remaining
Handmade by Earl Whitaker · Hocking Hills, Ohio
Wendy's Handmade Butterfly House
Wendy's Handmade Butterfly House
Regular price
€34,95
Regular price
€34,95
Sale price
€50,95
Unit price
per
★★★★★ 4.9 · 412 verified reviews
✓ Ships within 3 business days
✓ 60-day return policy
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In stock — ships from the workshop within 3 business days
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Wendy's Handmade Butterfly House
Regular price
€34,95
Regular price
€34,95
Sale price
€50,95
Unit price
per
Hand-built in a Purbeck stone workshop — Langton Matravers, Dorset
Wendy Scammell, 76. Twenty-nine summers at the bench, more than 2,400 houses. This is the last collection — 57 left, and no more will be made.
“People buy a butterfly house, hang it up — and nothing ever comes. It’s nearly always the house.”
— Wendy Scammell, Isle of PurbeckWhat arrives in the box
🏠The HouseTeardrop, scorched pine
💧The Puddling DishMetal dish on a curved ledge
🧵Jute RopeWith steel clip, ready to hang
✍Wendy’s NoteHandwritten, every order
Why this one gets used when the rest stay empty
Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Brimstone sleep through the British winter as adults. From October they need somewhere narrow, dark and dry.
Derek Scammell’s teardrop, taken from the line of a boat. It spreads the wind evenly — no spinning, no knocking, no strain on the hook.
Butterflies take minerals from damp sand. Entomologists call it puddling. Almost no butterfly house sold in Britain has it.
Untreated natural timber. No stain, no varnish, no paint. A chemical smell reads as danger to a butterfly.
The back opens without tools. Brush it out once a year in April, after the sleepers have gone, top up the sand. No mould, no damp.
“Four of our most familiar garden butterflies spend the winter as adults, and the dry, sheltered crevices they rely on are exactly what tidy modern gardens have lost. A shelter with the right slot width, untreated timber and a damp spot for puddling gives them one more place to try. Goodwill is not what is missing in British gardens — most of what is sold simply is not built with the butterfly in mind.”
Dr Rachel Norris Entomologist, Bournemouth UniversityWell suited to
🌳 Back gardens
🍎 Orchards & fruit trees
🌼 Wildlife-friendly borders
🎁 Gifts for gardeners
👥 Grandparents & grandchildren
🎓 School nature projects
🏡 Cottage gardens
🏛 Patios & allotments
What you are actually getting
- Hand-built, not moulded. Every house cut, sanded and fitted by one pair of hands in a Dorset stone workshop.
- Calibrated, not decorative. Slot width, dish and timber all come from twenty-nine summers of watching what works.
- Made for British weather. Solid timber walls and a sheltered interior keep the wet and the wind out through the winter.
- Cleanable. Tool-free back panel — the reason these last decades instead of a season.
- Finite. 57 houses remain. Derek’s jigs are not going with her. There will be no reorder.
30-day returns, no questions
Hang it up and see what happens. If you are not happy, send it back — no fuss, no questions asked.
A note on handmade: grain, scorch pattern and colour vary from house to house. No two come out the same, and yours will not look identical to the photographs. That is rather the point.
Product details
| Material | Untreated natural pine, lightly scorched surface |
| Finish | No stain, no varnish, no paint |
| Shape | Teardrop “hull line” profile (wind-stable) |
| Dimensions | Approx. 21 cm high × 14 cm wide |
| Entry slots | Three vertical slots, just under 20 mm wide |
| Puddling dish | Round metal dish on a curved ledge — fill with damp sand |
| Mounting | Jute rope with steel clip included |
| Best time to hang | Late September to October, sheltered from prevailing wind |
| Care | Brush out once a year in April, top up the sand |
| Made by | Wendy Scammell, Langton Matravers, Dorset |
| Remaining stock | 57 houses — final collection |
Meet your maker: Earl Whitaker
34 years a shop teacher. Now he builds birdhouses the slow way — one at a time, signed by hand.
Read Earl's story →
The Back Road Guarantee
If anything ever fails on this birdhouse — a joint, a hinge, the roof — Earl repairs or replaces it for free. For life. No receipts, no forms, no fine print. That's the deal he made us, and it's the deal we make you.
Good Questions
Before You Order
When will my order ship?
The maker keeps a small number finished and ready. Orders ship straight from the workshop within 3 business days, and you'll get a tracking number the moment it's on its way. If a batch sells out, the page will say so honestly — and you can join the waitlist for the next one.
What if it arrives damaged or I don't love it?
You have 60 days to change your mind — send it back for a full refund, no questions asked. And if anything ever fails on it, the Back Road Guarantee covers repairs or replacement for life, handled directly with the maker.
Is every piece really made by one person?
Yes. Every piece is made start to finish by one maker — cut, finished, signed, and wrapped by hand. That's why batches are small and why yours will carry a hand-written number.
Will mine look exactly like the photos?
Almost — but not perfectly, and that's the point. Natural materials vary in grain and tone, so every piece is one of a kind. What never varies is the craftsmanship behind it.
Is it a good gift?
It's our most-gifted item. Every order arrives hand-wrapped in kraft paper with twine and a signed note from the maker — no receipt in the box, so it ships straight to the lucky person.