10 Plants For A Butterfly Garden

Knowing your zone is essential for planting well if you are gardening with butterflies. Butterflies are environmentally insensitive and want plants they can eat, shelter, and reproduce. Pick plants that suit your zone, and you'll be able to cultivate an oasis conducive to local butterfly populations and the health of your garden. 

Nectar-bearing flowers and host plants that support caterpillars and adult butterflies are a majorstay of butterfly gardens. Here are 10 butterflies-attracting plants that can be grown in many gardening regions. 

Nectar-Rich Plants for Butterfly Attraction 

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) 

This purple coneflower, a butterfly favorite, resembles a daisy with pink petals. It is hardy in Zones 3-9 and provides summer nectar year-round. Its long blooming season and low maintenance make it a top choice for gardeners trying to assist pollinators. 

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) 

Not only does milkweed supply nectar, but its also the host to monarch butterflies. Milkweed, which grows in Zones 3-11, provides a habitat for monarch caterpillars, and the fragrant flowers attract butterflies of many kinds. Popular species are swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). 

Lantana (Lantana camera) 

Lantana, an annual in colder climates and a perennial in Zones 9-11, offers clusters of pollinated flowers butterflies love. It comes in a variety of yellows, oranges, and pinks and is an eye-catcher for any butterfly garden. 

Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) 

This spiky perennial blooms all summer and is a gastronomic feast for butterflies in Zones 3-9. Blazing star is especially desirable to swallowtails and painted ladies, and its curved shape on the vertical stems makes it architecturally interesting in bed gardens. 

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.) 

Adaptable to Zones 4-9, Joe Pye weed will give you masses of pinkish-purple flowers in late summer and early fall. Butterflies go there for its profusion of nectar, and its tall, majestic stems are ideal for butterfly gardens. 

Plants That Start off the Next Butterfly Generation 

Black Willow (Salix nigra) 

This Tree is an indigenous species and a host plant to several butterfly species, such as viceroy and mourning cloak caterpillars. Zones 4-9: Black willow grows near waterways and offers shelter and food to butterfly larvae. 

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) 

Spicebush - the scent-loving foliage plant, host to the spicebush swallowtail butterfly. Zones 4-9: Its leaves are used as a caterpillar foodplant, and its yellow flowers lure in spring adult butterflies. 

Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

A majestic Tree Zones 4-9, the tulip poplar helps tiger swallowtail caterpillars and provides nectar-rich flowers to adult butterflies. Its tall height and distinctive tulip-shaped flowers make it a great plant for big spaces. 

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) 

This little Tree grows in Zones 5-9 and is the only host plant for zebra swallowtail caterpillars. Large tropical-like leaves hide larvae; its dark maroon flowers draw butterflies and other pollinators in the spring. 

Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) 

A groundcover that's Zone 3-8, wild blue phlox feeds some species' adult butterflies and larvae. Its perfumed lavender-blue flowers bud early in the spring, adding opulence and color to shady gardens. 

Creating a Thriving Butterfly Habitat

 Butterfly gardens are not just a patchwork of pretty plants; they are ecosystems where species exist, and there is ecological equilibrium. For butterflies, select nectar and host plants according to your gardening area. Use flowers with multiple flowering dates to always have a good food source during the season. Also, don't use pesticides because they kill butterflies and caterpillars.

To make your garden attractive to butterflies, use things such as flat rocks to sit on and take a dip, shallow pools to rehydrate, and native plants. You can share in butterflies' beauty and support their protection in a diverse environment. 

These 10 plants can be used to make a sustainable butterfly garden that is adapted to your environment in a temperate or warm climate.