Some great plants for attracting butterflies to the garden:
- Annuals
- Alyssum
- Bachelor’s buttons
- Borage
- Cosmos
- Dahlias
- Dill
- Geraniums
- Heliotrope
- Lantana
- Marigolds
- Nicotiana
- Parsley
- Pentas
- Impatiens
- Rosemary
- Salvia
- Snapdragons
- Sunflowers
- Verbena
- Vinca
- Zinnias
- Anise hyssop
- Asters
- Astilbes
- Boltonia
- Butterfly weed
- Candytuft
- Cardinal flower
- Catmint
- Columbine
- Coreopsis
- Daylilies
- Dianthus
- Gaillardia
- Goldenrod
- Joe Pye weed
- Jupiter’s beard
- Lavender
- Lupines
- Mints
- Monarda (beebalm)
- Mums
- Penstemons
- Phlox
- Purple coneflowers
- Russian sage
- Rudbeckia
- Salvia
- Scabiosa
- Sedum
- Thalictrum
- Veronica
- Yarrow
- Abelia
- Azalea
- Butterfly bush
- Caryopteris
- Deutzia
- Dogwood
- Dutchman’s pipe
- Hawthorn
- Hibisus
- Honeysuckle
- Lilac
- Privet
- Rhododendron
- Rose of Sharon
- Spicebush
- Spirea
- Summersweet
- Trumpet vine
- Tulip poplar
- Viburnum
- Weigela
- Wisteria
Perennials
Trees, shrubs, vines
Do you have any favorites that I have missed?
Further reading:
Garden Butterflies of North America: A Gallery of Garden Butterflies & How to Attract Them
I planted fennel a couple of years ago… caterpillars love to munch it! The plants didn’t seem to mind, they had most of their branches stripped clean but came back with fast-growing new ones within a week. Looked like monarch caterpillars! The fennels are 4 times bigger this year. Good one to have around (along with cilantro) to attract beneficials.
And citrus trees. The Giant Swallowtail butterfly lays its eggs on citrus, the caterpillar looks like a tiny bit of bird poo… I let these have some of my tree leaves, no biggie as the butterflies are very striking.
Go take a bunch of lemon tree cuttings (Dwayne’s mist kit will take good care of them!) and soon you will have a great-smelling butterfly habitat.
Thanks for the tips Rick.
And thanks for the kind words about the misting systems!
Sunflowers are excellent, but the best one of all, is the beautiful Mexican Sunflower. The orange is outstanding for both Humming birds and butterflies. I found the Mexican yellow growing wild in Mexico last fall, covered in butterflies. I have the seeds to plant for this year. I believe the mixer of the two will yield even more of natures friends.
Thank you all your advice.
Thanks for the tip Joy. Be sure to let us know how the two work out.
The list is endless, but among my favs are stachytarpheta (Porterweed), passiflora, paw-paw and Vitex. I saw a Cloudless Sulphur visiting minature daffodils last week.
.-= Nell Jean´s last blog ..Wild Geraniums, Porch Geraniums and Pelargoniums =-.
Thanks Nell. It took a while to compile the list and is by no means all inclusive. Thanks for adding your favorites!