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“The beauty of a swallowtail-studded patch of phlox confers a deep
sense of pleasure that flowers above are unable to match.”
-Robert Pyle
 The
image of butterflies flittering from flower to flower can bring a
smile to any gardener’s face. Not only are they beautiful, they
are second in importance only to bees as pollinators. There are
many plants and flowers you can add to your landscape to increase
butterfly presence. Butterflies prefer edges; so by simply
planting low flowers at the edge of your lawn and high flowers at
the edge of trees or along a fence can enhance a butterfly
habitat. By placing flat stones, such as flagstone in a sunny area
of your lawn, you can also play host to butterflies in your
landscape. The cold-blooded insects need sun to warm their bodies
to enable flight and the stones give them a great place to receive
sun.
You can also
select plants to lure butterflies. Common butterfly bush,
marigolds and indigenous wildflowers are all known for attracting
the winged beauties. A full list of plants can be found below.
Patience and planning are a large part of attracting butterflies
to your landscape. In the words of a wise man, “If you build it,
they will come.”
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Butterfly Species |
Larval Food Plants
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Adult Food Plants (Nectar
Sources) |
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Black Swallowtail |
Prairie
parsley, Dutchman’s breeches, bishop’s weed, dill, parsley,
fennel, carrot |
Fruit tree
blossoms, lantana, boneset, asters, thistles, milkweeds,
clover |
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Buckeye |
Purple
gerardia, paintbrush, frog-fruit, ruellia, snapdragon,
plantain, toadflax |
Lantana,
composites, paintbrush, frog-fruit, purple gerardia |
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Common Checkered Skipper |
Globe mallow,
common mallow, sida, hollyhocks, hibiscus |
Milkweeds,
dandelions, asters, frog-fruit, fleabane |
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Dogface |
Leadplant,
clovers, alfalfa, |
Verbena,
salvias, golden-wave, bur-clover |
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Giant Swallowtail |
Lime
prickly-ash, hop-tree, cultivated citrus |
Lantana,
butterfly-bush, honeysuckles, Fruit juices and manure |
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Great Purple Hairstreak |
Mostly
mistletoe, eastern cottonwood, mesquite |
Roosevelt
weed, creek plum, Mexican plum, goldenrods |
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Janais Patch |
Flame
acanthus |
Bee-brush,
annual sunflower |
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Julia |
Passion
flower, passion vine |
Lantana
species |
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Long-tailed Skipper |
Legumes,
mustards |
Legumes,
mustards |
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Monarch |
Milkweed
species, milkweed vine |
Lantana,
boneset, sunflowers, frostweed, goldeneye |
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Painted Lady |
Thistles,
milfoil, globemallow, mugwort |
Thistles,
milfoil, mugwort, gayfeathers, asters |
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Palamedes Swallowtail |
Red bay,
sweet bay, sassafras |
Thistles,
phlox, verbenas, azaleas, yellow iris |
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Queen |
Milkweed
species |
Milkweed
species, frog fruit, blue mistflower, boneset |
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Red Admiral |
Nettles,
false nettle |
Milkweeds,
asters, tree sap, ripe fruit, |
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Texas Crescentspot |
Flame
acanthus, orega de raton, diclipteram, ruellia |
Kidneywood,
boneset, golden-eye, Indian blanket |
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Tiger Swallowtail |
Green ash,
Mexican plum, blackcherry, eastern cottonwood, camphor-tree |
Butterfly
weed, butterfly bush, abelia, azaleas, salvias |
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Variegated Fritillary |
Stiff-stem
flax, violets, pansies, purselane, passion flowers |
Flax species |
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Zebra Swallowtail |
Common pawpaw |
Pawpaw,
turk’s cap |
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Bordered Patch |
Crimson Patch |
Giant Swallowtail |
Giant Swallowtail |
Great Purple Hairstreak |
Julia Skipper |
Long-tailed Skipper |
Mexican Silverspot |
Mimosa Yellow |
Queen |
Roosting Migrant Monarchs |
Rounded Metalmark |
Tawny Emperor |
Texas Crescent |
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