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Plants for butterflies

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American Snout Butterfly  (Libytheana carinenta) on mint.  The "snout" is formed by  unusually long mouthparts.

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Host plants

What's a backyard wildlife habitat without butterflies? Incomplete! They're not only pretty to look at and interesting to observe, but they help pollinate plants as they flutter from flower to flower.

You can attract butterflies to your yard by offering two categories of plants. The first is nectar-rich food plants. Not just annuals and perennials, but shrubs and trees, as well. Second, they need "host" plants on which to lay their eggs. While most butterflies as adults sip nectar, their young offspring -- caterpillars -- can't fly and must rely on a single plant to feed on through their larval stage.

Not just any plant will do. Different species of butterflies require different kinds of plants.  For example, the host plants for Monarch caterpillars must be milkweeds. Female Common Buckeyes, on the other hand, won't give milkweeds a second glance; they want snapdragons. It's a matter of life or death for their hatched caterpillars. If you pluck a caterpillar off a parsley plant and place him on, say, an aster, he'll starve to death. Even a change between two plant species within the same family may cause a caterpillar to stop eating.

We can't hope to meet the needs of all butterflies, but it's easy to provide for many species by simply planting a variety of plants we know they'll like. Below are some of the preferred native nectar plants for butterflies, followed by a list of host plants. Be careful not to apply insecticides to butterfly plants.

     Nectar plants for butterflies

Some suggested species	Type	Scientific name	Bloom  Time*	Zone
American Beautyberry	Shrub	Callicarpa americana	MSp-MS	6-10
Aster (New England, Smooth)	P	Aster spp.	LS-EF	3-9
Azalea	Shrub	Rhododendron spp.	Varies	3-9
Black-eyed Susan	A, P	Rudbeckia hirta	MS-EF	5-10
Blazing Star	P	Liatris spicata	MS-EF	3-10
Blue False Indigo	P	Baptisia australis	LSp-MS	3-10
Boneset	P	Eupatorium serotinum	EF-LF	3-9
Butterfly Weed	P	Asclepias tuberosa	MS-EF	4-10
Buttonbush	Shrub	Cephalanthus occidentalis	MS-Fall	5-10
Canada Verbena	P	Glandularia canadensis	LS-EF	6-9
Cardinal Flower	P	Lobelia cardinalis	LS-EF	2-10
Daisy Fleabane	A	Erigeron annuus	MSp-MS	N/A
Dogbane (Siberian, Hemp)	P	Apocynum spp.	S	2-8
Dogwood (Silky, Gray, Redosier)	Shrubs	Cornus spp.	ES-LS	4-9
Downy Phlox	P	Phlox pilosa	MSp	4-9
Goldenrod (Showy, Carolina Moonlight)	P	Solidago spp.1	Varies	2-8
Great Blue Lobelia	P	Lobelia siphilitica	LS-EF	3-9
Indian Blanket	A	Gaillardia pulchella	S-EF	N/A
Joe-pye Weed	P	Eupatorium fistulosum	MS-EF	3-8
Lanceleaf Coreopsis	P	Coreopsis lanceolata	LSp-MS	4-9
Spotted Jewelweed	A	Impatiens capensis	MS-EF	N/A
Perennial Lupine	P	Lupinus perennis	Sp-MS	3-9
Prairie Blazing Star	P	Liatris pycnostachya	MS-LS	3-9
Milkweed (Marsh, Rose, Swamp)	P	Asclepias spp.	Varies	2-9
Missouri Primrose	P	Oenothera missouriensis	LSp-ES	4-8
Native Yellow Honeysuckle	P-Vine	Lonicera flava	Spring	4-9
Purple Coneflower	P	Penstemon canescens	S-LF	3-9
Purple Poppy Mallow	P	Callirhoe involucrata	ESp-MS	3-9
Red Iris	P	Iris fulva	ESp-Sp	5-11
Red Thistle	B	Cirsium occidentale	Sp	2-9
Scarlet Sage	A	Salvia coccinea	S-F	4-9
Serviceberry	Shrub	Amelanchier stolonifera	MSp	4-8
Spicebush2	Shrub	Lindera enzoin	ESp-ES	4-9
Spiked Gayfeather	P	Liatris spicata	MS-LS	3-10
Sundial Lupine	P	Lupinus perennis	Sp-S	3-9
Sunflower (Woodland, Small-headed, Plains)	A, P	Helianthus spp.	LS-F	3-9
Wild Ageratum	P	Eupatorium coelestinum	LS-EF	5-9
Wild Geranium	P	Geranium maculatum	LS-MS	3-8
Yarrow (Common, Mountain)	P	Achillea spp.	MS-F	1-11

     ^*Bloom time varies somewhat depending on the zone. ¹Some species are invasive.
     ²Flowering requires both male and female plants. N/A= Not applicable.

          Caterpillar host plants

Butterfly	Host plants	Type*
American Copper	Sorrel, curled dock	V, P
American Lady	Pussy toes, Pearly Everlasting, ironweed	P
American Snout	Hackberry	T
Anise Swallowtail	(Anise, fennel, parsley, dill, parsnips), citrus	H, T
Baltimore Checkerspot	Turtlehead	P
Banded Hairstreak	Oak, walnut, hickory	T
Black Swallowtail	(Dill, parsley, fennel, parsnips)	H
Buckeye	(Snapdragons), plantains, toadflax	P
Cabbage White	(Cabbage, collards), Brussels Sprouts	V
California Dogface	False Indigo	P
California Sister	Oaks	T
Carolina Satyr	Grasses	G
Checkered Skipper	Mallows, hollyhock	P
Cloudless Sulphur	Partridge Pea (can be invasive), sennas	P
Colorado Hairstreak	Oaks	T
Diana Fritillary	Violets	P
Dogface	Lead Plant, false indigo, clovers	P
Dotted Checkerspot	Beardtongues	P
Dreamy Duskywing	Willows, poplars, aspens	T
Eastern Comma	Nettles, hops, elms	P, T
Eastern Tailed-Blue	Clovers, alfalfa, wild pea	P, L
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	Sycamore, willow	T
Giant Swallowtail	Hop Tree, citrus, rue, prickly ash	P
Gorgone Checkerspot	Sunflowers	P
Great Spangled Fritillary	Violets	P
Gray Hairstreak	Hawthorn, mallows, clovers, cotton	T
Gulf Fritillary	Passion-vines	V
Hackberry Emperor	Hackberry	T
Harvester	Sap of alders, ash, beech, hawthorn, wild currant	T, S
Horace's Duskywing	Oaks: Red, White, Scrub, Post, Live	T
Karner Blue	Lupine, legumes	P
Marine Blue	Alfalfa, legumes, mesquite	P, T
Monarch	Milkweeds	P
Mourning Cloak	Willow, poplar, cottonwood, elm, alder	T
Orange Sulphur	Clovers	P
Oregon Swallowtail	Sagebrush, parsley	P
Painted Crescent	Asters	P
Painted Lady	Thistles, hollyhock, mallows, legumes	P
Pearl Crescent	Asters	P
Pipevine Swallowtail	Pipevines	V
Queen	Milkweeds	P
Question Mark	Nettles, false nettle, elm, hackberry	P, T
Red Admiral	Nettles, pellitory, hops	P, H, V
Red-banded Hairstreak	Fallen leaves of sumac, oaks, Wax Myrtle	S, T
Red Satyr	Grasses	G
Red-spotted Purple	Cherries, oaks, poplars, willows, cottonwood	T
Regal Fritillary	Violets	P
Sachem Skipper	Grasses	G
Sandia Hairstreak	Beargrass	P
Satyr Comma	Nettles	P
Silver-spotted Skipper	Locusts, false indigo	T, P
Silvery Checkerspot	Black-eyed Susan, sunflowers	P
Spicebush Swallowtail	Spicebush, sassafrass	S
Spring Azure	Black Cherry	T
Summer Azure	Flowering Dogwood, New Jersey Tea	S
Tawny Emperor	Elms	T
Two-tailed Swallowtail	Chokecherry, Ash, Hop Tree	S, T
Viceroy	Willows, poplars, cottonwoods	T
Zebra Longwing Swallowtail	Pawpaw	T

          ( )= annuals; P= plant; T= tree; S= shrub; H= herb; V= vegetable; L= legume; G= grass

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Butterflies of North America

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Caterpillars of Eastern North America