What’s a backyard wildlife habitat without butterflies? It’s incomplete! Butterflies are not only beautiful, but they’re beneficial, too, as pollinators of plants when they flutter around them. If you’d like to attract butterflies to your yard, offer them nectar plants and host plants.
Most butterflies as adults sip nectar as food for themselves, but their young offspring — caterpillars — can’t fly and must rely on a single plant, a host plant, to feed them through their larval stage.
Below are many of the native perennials (and a few annuals) that butterflies prefer for nectar. (Follow this link to see a list of butterfly species and their preferred host plants.) Take care never to apply insecticides to butterfly habitat. Also see: Native annuals for butterflies
Nectar perennials for butterflies
Aromatic Aster. (U.S. Government Work; PD)
| Aster (Aromatic, New England, Smooth, et al.) |
| Aster spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late spring–Early-fall |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Black-eyed Susan. (Frank Mayfield / EOL; cc by-sa 2.0)
| Black-eyed Susan |
| Rudbeckia hirta |
| Annual, Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones 5–10 |
Dense Blazing Star. (Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) / EOL; cc by 3.0)
| Blazing Star (Dense, Prairie, et al.) |
| Liatris spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-spring–Early-fall |
| Zones 3–10 |
Blue False Indigo.(Fritzflohrreynolds / Wiki; cc by-sa 3.00
| Blue False Indigo |
| Baptisia australis |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-spring–Mid-summer |
| Zones: 3–10 |
Common Boneset. (H. Zell / Wiki; cc by-sa 3.0)
| Boneset (aka Snakeroot, Thoroughwort) |
| Eupatorium perfoliatum |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Early-Fall–Late-fall |
| Zones 3–9 |
Butterfly Weed. (SB Johnny / EOL; cc by-nc 3.0)
| Butterfly Weed |
| Asclepias tuberosa |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 4–10 |
Cardinal Flower. (H. Zell / Wiki; (cc by-sa 3.0)
| Cardinal Flower |
| Lobelia cardinalis |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 2–10 |
Copper Iris. (Scott Loarie / EOL; cc by 3.0)
| Copper Iris |
| Iris fulva |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Early-spring–Spring |
| Zones: 5–11 |
Daisy Fleabane. (Nicholas A. Tonelli / Wiki; cc by 2.0)
| Daisy Fleabane |
| Erigeron annuus |
| Annual or biennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-spring–Mid-summer |
| Zones: 2–8 |
Dogbane. (Steven J. Baskauf / EOL; cc by-nc-sa 3.0)
| Dogbane |
| Apocynum cannabinum |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Summer |
| Zones: 2–8 |
Downy Phlox. (Aaron Gunnar / EOL; cc by-sa 3.00
| Downy Phlox |
| Phlox pilosa |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-spring |
| Zones: 4–9 |
Goldenrod. (WW; cc by-nc-sa 3.0))
| Goldenrod (Showy, Carolina Moonlight, et al.) |
| Solidago spp. (can be invasive) |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Varies; most in late-summer–Fall |
| Zones: 2–8 |
Great Blue Lobelia. (John B. / Flickr; cc by 2.0)
| Great Blue Lobelia |
| Lobelia siphilitica |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Indian Blanket. (Clarence A. Rechenthin, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database; PD)
| Indian Blanket |
| Gaillardia pulchella |
| Annual |
| Bloom time: Summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Joe-pye Weed. (H. Zell / EOL; cc by-sa 3.0)
| Joe-pye Weed |
| Eupatorium fistulosum |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 3–8 |
Lanceleaf Coreopsis. (Eleanor / Flickr; cc by-nc 2.0)
| Lanceleaf Coreopsis |
| Coreopsis Ianceolata |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-spring–Mid-summer |
| Zones: 4–9 |
Spotted jewelweed. (Fritz Geller-Grimm / EOL; cc by 3.0)
| Spotted Jewelweed |
| Impatiens capensis |
| Annual |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Early-fall |
| Everywhere except arid regions |
Sundial Lupine. (Marc Ryckaert / EOL; cc by 3.0)
| Lupine (Sundial, Perennial, et al.) |
| Lupinus spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Spring–Summer |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Purple Milkweed. (Peter Gorman / Flickr; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
| Milkweed (Marsh, Rose, Swamp, Purple, et al.) |
| Asclepias spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Varies |
| Zones 2–9 |
Missouri primrose. (Joshm / Flickr; cc by-nc-sa 2.00
| Missouri Primrose |
| Oenothera missouriensis |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-spring–Early-summer |
| Zones: 4–8 |
Native Yellow Honeysuckle. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation; PD)
| Native Yellow Honeysuckle |
| Lonicera flava |
| Perennial vine (avoid non-native bush variety) |
| Bloom time: Spring |
| Zones: 4–9 |
Annual Phlox. (Neelix / EOL; PD)
| Phlox |
| Phlox spp. |
| Annual, Perennial |
| Bloom time: Spring |
| Zones: 2–10 |
Purple coneflower. (Danny Stevens / EOL; cc by-sa 3.0)
| Purple Coneflower, et al. |
| Echinacea spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Summer–Late-fall |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Purple Poppy Mallow. John Hilty / EOL; cc by 3.0)
| Purple Poppy Mallow |
| Callirhoe involucata |
| Perennial |
| Bloom Time: Early-spring–Mid-summer |
| Zones: 3–9 |
Red Thistle. (Matt Lavin / Wiki; cc by-sa 2.0)
| Red Thistle |
| Cirsium occidentale |
| Biennial |
| Bloom time: Spring |
| Zones: 2–9 |
Scarlet Sage. (Carl Lewis / Flickr; cc by cc by 2.0)
| Scarlet Sage |
| Salvia coccinea |
| Annual |
| Bloom time: Summer–Fall |
| Zones: 4–9 |
Spiked Gayfeather. (H Zell / EOL; cc by-sa 3.0).jpg
| Spiked Gayfeather |
| Liatris spicata |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Late-summer |
| Zones: 3–10 |
Common Sunflower. (Evening / EOL; cc by-nc 3.0)
| Sunflower (Common, Plains, Woodland, et al.) |
| Helianthus spp. |
| Annual, Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer–Fall |
| Zones 3–9 |
Swamp Rose Mallow. (Robert H. Mohlenbrock / USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database; PD)
| Swamp Rose Mallow |
| Hibiscus Moscheutos |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer |
| Zones 5–8 |
Southwestern Mock Vervain. (Keir Morse / EOL; cc by-nc-sa 3.0)
| Verbena (Rose, Pink, Southwestern, et al.) |
| Verbena spp. |
| Annual, Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 3–8 |
Wild Ageratum. (Michael P. Riggs; EOL; cc by-nc 3.0)
| Wild Ageratum (aka Blue Mistflower) |
| Eupatorium coelestinum |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-summer–Early-fall |
| Zones: 5–9 |
Wild geranium. (Anita / EOL; cc by-nc 3.0)
| Wild Geranium |
| Geranium maculatum |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Late-spring–mid-summer |
| Zones: 3–8 |
Common Yarrow. (Anita / EOL; cc by-nc-sa 3.0)
| Yarrow (Common, Mountain) |
| Achillea spp. |
| Perennial |
| Bloom time: Mid-summer–Fall |
| Zones: 1–11 |
*American Snout Butterfly, Libytheana carinenta. (WelcomeWildlife.com; cc by-sa 3.0)
More reading:
Native plants for hummingbirds
Attract butterflies to your yard
General anatomy of insects
