Plant Information Fact Sheet No. 6
You can attract butterflies and day flying
moths to your garden by growing their favorite nectar-producing plants.
Many nocturnal moths feed on the nectar of night-blooming, fragrant garden
flowers. To encourage butterflies to reside throughout their life cycle,
to mate and lay eggs, grow plants that will shelter their larvae as well
as nectar plants to feed them. Then, you will host these wonderful creatures
year-round, and reap the benefits of their flitting beauty and pollination
activities from early spring until late autumn.
Requirements for Success
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS:Provide stands of fragrant flowering plants
rather than single plants. Butterflies prefer flowers in full sun with
shelter from the wind. They find hues of yellow and purple especially appealing.
Plants of differing heights will attract the greatest variety of species.
While some butterflies favor large flowers, others will prefer small. Provide
flowers to butterfly visitors throughout the growing season. Butterflies
will visit your garden if there is an abundance of nectar plants and certain
specific larval host plants. As some species feed primarily on vegetables,
you may need extra quantities of these food plants. Natural predators such
as spiders, wasps, ants, flies, beetles, birds and small animals work along
with the weather to keep caterpillar populations in check. To assure continued
generations of butterflies, do not use toxic pesticides.
LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY: A butterfly's life cycle includes four distinct stages:
egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult. As gardeners, our
greatest interest is the caterpillar or larval stage and the butterfly
or adult stage. Since the larval stage is dominated with feeding and molting,
be sure to have enough food source plants. When the fully mature caterpillar
stops feeding it will search for a sheltered spot to pupate. Most chrysalises
metamorphose within 10 to 14 days, although some will actually overwinter
in the pupa stage. The adult butterfly will hatch in the morning to take
advantage of a full day's sunlight. Courting and mating rituals are quite
elaborate in some species with courtship "dances" of distinct steps that
allow the same species to recognize each other and avoid crossbreeding.
Within several hours of mating, the female will carefully scout for the
proper food plant that will best nourish her young. Most butterflies lay
their eggs on the underside of a food plant leaf, to protect them from
sun and predators. Butterflies hibernate in all life stages with some overwintering
as chrysalises, others as eggs, or caterpillars.
ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY: Aim for diversity
by including herbs, annuals and perennials; trees, shrubs, vines; native
wildflowers, and food crops in the parsley and broccoli families. Be prepared
to share some of your plants with hungry larvae. There must be sufficient
numbers of food plants for caterpillars to foster an adequate population
PROVIDE NECTAR SOURCES: Many adult
butterflies need flower nectar for energy. Good nectar plants include Aster,
Asclepias (Milkweeds), and Buddleja (Butterfly Bush) as these
offer nectar for most of the butterfly species. Non-flower sources of food
for butterflies can include rotting fruit, tree sap, and animal droppings.
FEED THE CATERPILLARS: Since many
larvae prefer to feed on weedy plants, these can be located in remote areas
of the property. The caterpillars of most butterflies are not considered
true pests to many cultivated garden plants. Wild cherry leaves provide
food for the Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars, while Viceroy caterpillars
feed on willows. Of course, Monarch caterpillars prefer common weeds in
the milkweed family. Since they only feed on particular plant groups, most
butterfly larvae will not feed on your more valuable ornamental trees,
shrubs and perennials.
INCLUDE SUNNY AREAS: Ample sunshine
is necessary for butterflies to garner the energy needed for flying.
FURTHER SUGGESTIONS: They will also
need moisture and the nutrients that accumulate in rainwater. Often, they
can be seen gathering in one spot at a mud puddle or along damp stream
banks. Provide a water feature such as a fountain, birdbath or mud puddle.
Place a few flat stones around, to give them a place to bask in the sun
so they can get warm.
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION: As
their habitat is increasingly fragmented and destroyed, we can play an
important role in preservation of butterfly populations by creating the
conditions necessary for their survival. Whatever we do to encourage butterflies
will benefit other species as well.
||Milkweed, Butterfly Bush, Purple Coneflower, Phlox, Dame's Rocket, Lilac, Azalea, Clover,
||Rue, Hercules, Club, Carrots, Parsley, Dill
||Woodland edges,cultivated fower gardens
||Butterfly Bush, Lilac, Milkweed, Honeysuckle, Bee Balm, Ironweed, Thistle, Phlox, Sweet Pepperbush
||Lilac, Cherry, Birch, Hornbeam, Ash, Willow, Spicebush
||Woodlands, cultivated flower gardens, along rivers
|European Cabbage Butterfly
||Aster, Mustard, Lantana, Impatiens, Mint, Dandelion
||Mustard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cleome, Nasturtium
||Open fields, woodlands and woodland edges, cultivated flower gardens
||Milkweed, Aster, Goldenrod, Lilac, Joe-pye Weed, Sedum, Blanketflower, Cosmos, Lantana, Zinnia, Butterfly Bush, Abelia, Mint
||Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed and other Milkweeds
||Open fields, grasslands, cultivated flower gardens
|Great Spangled Fritillary
||Thistle, Purple Coneflower, Verbena, Butterfly Weed, Joe-pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Ironweed,
Mountain Laurel, Milkweed, Buttonbush, Lantana
||Open woodlands, meadows, wetlands
|| Aster, Dogwood, Holly, Milkweed, Ceanothus, Spicebush, Lilac, Privet, Rock Cress, Cherry, Cotoneaster, Violet, Coreopsis
||Many trees and shrubs, Dogwood, Viburnum, Cherry, Sumac, Ceanothus
|| Fields, bogs, woodlands, brushy areas
||Aster, Clover, Phlox, Goldenrod, Milkweed, Marigold, Scarlet Sage, Gayfeather, Sedum, Zinnia
||Many legumes, clover, alfalfa, vetch, trefoil
||Open areas, meadows, alfalfa fields
||Joe-pye Weed, Goldenrod, Thistle, Milkweed, Phlox; Non-flower sources: rotting fruit, sap, animal droppings
|| Willow, Poplar, Cherry, Apple
|| Woodland edges, Streambanks, Meadows, Willow groves
||Butterfly Bush, Ceonanthus, Milkweed, Zinnia, Tree sap
|| Willow, Birch, Hackberry, Elm
|| Woodlands, Streambanks, suburban areas
||Aster, Coreopsis, Chickory, Milkweed, Buckwheat, Globe Thistle
||Mint, Snapdragon, Toadflax, Monkey Flower, Plantain
||Open fields, coastal areas, meadows, thin brush
||Aster, Fleabane, Black-eyed Susan, Milkweed, Clover, Mint, Coreopsis, Zinnia
||Aster, Michemas Daisy
||Cultivated flower gardens, fields, meadows, roadsides
||Aster, Buttonbush, Butterfly Bush, Bee Balm, Sedum, Annis Hyssop, Phlox, Goldenrod, Thistle, Joe-Pye Weed, Zinnia
||Many common weeds,Thistle, Mallow, Hollyhock, Sunflower
|| Open wodlands, meadows cultivated flower gardens