Butterfly Gardening Tips & Tricks Gardening for butterflies is fun, beautiful, and good for the environment. It is also simple and can be done in almost any location. The key guidelines are listed below:
NO PESTICIDES! Caterpillars are highly susceptible to almost all pesticides so keep them away from your yard if you want butterflies to thrive. Select the right plants. You will need to provide nectar sources for adults and host plants for caterpillars. See the lists below for inspiration. Keep to native varieties as much as possible. Plants come in lots and lots of varieties and cultivars. When selecting plants, especially host plants, try to find native species as close to the natural or wild variety as possible. Provide shelter. Caterpillars need shelter from the sun and shelter from cold nights. Adults need places to roost during the night. And protected areas are needed for the chrysalis to safely undergo its transformation. The best way to provide shelter is with large clumps of tall grasses (native or ornamental) and medium to large evergreen trees and/or shrubs. Nectar Sources Top Ten Nectar Sources: Asclepias spp. (milkweed) Aster spp. Buddleia spp. (butterfly bush) Coreopsis spp. Echinacea spp. (coneflower) Eupatorium spp. (joe-pye weed) Lantana spp. Liatris spp. Pentas spp. Rudbeckia spp. (black-eyed susan)
Others: Agastache spp. (hyssop), Apocynum spp. (dogbane), Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea), Cephalanthus occidentalis (button bush), Clethra alnifolia, Cuphea spp. (heather), Malus spp. (apple), Mentha spp. (mint), Phlox spp., Pycanthemum incanum (mountain mint), Salivs spp. (sage), Sedum spectabile (stonecrop), Stokesia laevis (cornflower), Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), Triofolium spp. (clover) Plants for Butterflies
Host Plant: Butterfly Species: Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar) Callophrys hesseli (Hessel’s hairstreak) Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar) Callophrys gryneus (juniper hairstreak) Ilex opaca (American holly) Callophrys henrici (Henry’s elfin) Celtis spp. (hackberry, sugarberry) Libytheana carinenta (American snout) & Polygonia Interrogationis Salix spp. (willow) Limenitis archippus (viceroy) Cornus florida (southern dog wood) Celastrina ladon (spring azure) Prunus spp. (cherry) Papilio glaucus (Eastern tiger swallowtail) & Limenitis arthemis (red-spotted purple) Asimina triloba (pawpaw) Eurytides marcellus (zebra swallowtail) Passiflora spp. (passion vine) Heliconius charithonia (zebra longwing) & Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary) Aristolochia spp. (pipevine) Battus philenor (pipevine swallowtail) Lindera spp. (spicebush) Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail) Cassia spp. (senna, partridge pea) Abaeis nicippe (sleepy orange) & Phoebis sennae (cloudless sulphur) Baptisia spp. (wild indigo) Erynnis spp. (duskywings) Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) Papilio polyxenes (black swallowtail) Asclepias spp. (milkweed) Danaus plexippus (monarch) Brassicaceae (crucifer vegetables) Anthocharis midea (falcate orangetip) & Pieris virginiensis (West Virginia white) Petroselium crispum (parsley) Papilio polyxenes (black swallowtail) Plantago spp. (plantain) Junonia coenia (common buckeye) Others: Trifolium spp. (clover), Viola spp. (violets), Graminaceae (grasses)