TOP VALLEY NATIVE BUTTERFLY NECTAR

NOTE: All these plants are great nectar sources for butterflies. In some plants, we have indicated particular types of butterflies are attracted to them, but that doesn’t mean that other types will not visit.

SMALL TREES (LESS THAN 30 FT):

Common Name Botanical Name Height Width Full Sun/ Shade Evergreen Bloom Bloom Fruit Notes (ft) (ft) Sun Shade Color Period Color Wild Olive, Cordia boissieri 10-20 15 X X X White w/ Year- Light Very drought tolerant; large , Anacahuita, yellow round Green large leaves. Excellent hummingbird Mexican Olive, center and butterfly nectar . Olive

LARGE SHRUBS (5 FT or GREATER):

Common Name Botanical Name Height Full Sun/ Shade Evergreen Bloom Bloom Fruit Notes (ft) Sun Shade Color Period Color Cortés Croton Croton 6 4-5 X X X White Year- Attracts Hairstreaks and Metalmarks cortesianus round in particular. Can be grown in container, but prune to keep small. Fiddlewood, Citharexylum 6-10 10 X X White Late Orange, Attractive. Small flowers form showy Berlandier’s berlandieri Spring- then clusters; fruit also in clusters. Can Fiddlewood, Summer black be pruned to look like a small tree or Tamaulipan used as a hedge. Host plant for Fiddlewood, Negrito Sulphur butterflies. Mexican Cephalanthus 8-16 10 X White Spring- Heat tolerant, grows in wet soil. Buttonbush salicifolius Summer Excellent nectar plant. Texas Babybonnets Coursetia 3-9 6 X Pink, Spring Brown Host plant for Southern Dogface, axillaris white Funereal Duskywing. Can be grown in container, but prune to keep small. Torrey’s Croton Croton incanus 6 5 X X X Greenish Spring- Stressed leaves turn orange. Fall Attracts Hairstreaks and Metalmarks in particular. Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus 5-10 2-5 X X X X Red Year- Red Attractive showy flowers and fruit. Manzanilla drummondii round Edible fruit; fruit for birds. Excellent butterfly and hummingbird nectar plant. Attracts Large Orange Sulphurs, Glassy-winged Skippers and White Skippers in particular. Can be grown in container, but prune to keep small. Whitebrush, Aloysia 8-10 6 X White Spring- Brown Fragrant flowers. Excellent nectar Common Bee Bush, gratissima Fall plant. Jazminillo

SMALL SHRUBS (LESS THAN 5 FT):

Common Name Botanical Height Width Full Sun/ Shade Evergreen Bloom Bloom Fruit Notes Name (ft) (ft) Sun Shade Color Period Color Blue Boneset, 5 6 X X X Blue Winter- White Excellent spring nectar; sprawling. Spring Mistflower azurea Spring Crucita, Blue 5 6 X X X Blue Fall, White Superb fall nectar plant; needs Mistflower odorata Winter space; trim back to 2 ft. in Jan/Feb. Low Croton Croton humilis 4 5 X X White Year- Heat and drought tolerant; stressed round leaves turn orange. Attracts Hairstreaks and Metalmarks in particular. Host plant for Tropical Leafwing. Can be grown in container. Mexican Trixis Trixis inula 5-6 5 X X X Yellow Year- White Good nectar source. Weak-limbed. round Shrubby Blue Salvia 5-6 3 X X X Blue Spring- Brown Aromatic leaves; drought tolerant. Sage, Mejorana ballotiflora Fall Blooms more after rain. Skeleton-leaf 2-4 5 X X Yellow Spring- Prolific producer of flowers; drought Daisy, stenoloba Fall tolerant; attracts Monarchs in Goldeneye Daisy, particular. Resin-bush, Golden Bush Daisy Texas Lantana, Lantana 3-6 3-6 X X X Orange, Year- Black Wide-spreading shrub; rough Calico Bush, urticoides Yellow, round leaves, strong in smell. Excellent Hierba de Cristo red butterfly nectar plant. Can get fungus/insects. Prune to maintain size in Jan/Feb. Can be grown in container, but prune to keep small. Velvet Lantana, Lantana 5-6 3 X X X White Year- Pink- Butterfly nectar plant. Can be grown Orégano Xiu velutina round purple, in container, but prune to keep then small. black White Plumbago, Plumbago 1-3 sprawls X X X X White Spring- Sprawling shrub; use as Pitillo, scandens Fall groundcover; does well in moist Hierba de Alacrán soils; great for nectar source in shaded areas. Host plant for Marine Blue and Cassius Blue. Woolly Pyramid Bush Melochia 3-6 6 X Purple to Spring- Showy flowers. tomentosa pink or Fall white

HERBACEOUS PLANTS (NON-WOODY):

Common Name Botanical Height Width Full Sun/ Shade Evergreen Bloom Bloom Fruit Notes Name (ft) (ft) Sun Shade Color Period Color Bush Sunflower Simsia calva 3 1 X X Yellow Spring- Continued blooms; seeds feed birds. Fall Excellent winter nectar. Can be grown in container. Cowpen Daisy 2-3 2 X Annual Yellow Spring- Showy yellow flowers. Can be encelioides Fall grown in container. Horsemint Monarda 1-3 X Annual White/ Spring- Showy flowers; drought tolerant. citriodora pink Fall Can be grown in container. Scarlet Sage, Salvia coccinea 2-3 1-2 X X X Dies back Red, Year- Excellent hummingbird and butterfly Tropical Sage, Salvia to ground; pink, round nectar plant. Seeds in papery cover comes rarely are eaten by small birds. Can be back white grown in container. Scorpion’s Tail, Heliotropium 2 1 X X White Year- Small flowers are arranged in Taperleaf angiospermum round clusters curling toward the tip, Heliotrope, resembling a scorpion’s tail; Cola de Mico reseeds easily. Excellent butterfly nectar plant for small butterfly species. Can be grown in container. , Wedelia 3 2 X X Yellow Spring- Use as a groundcover. Host plant Orange acapulcensis Fall for Border Patch. var. hispida White Mistflower 2 sprawls X X X White Year- Weak-stemmed, sprawling; can be incarnata round trained on a trellis.

GROUNDCOVERS:

Common Name Botanical Height Full Sun/ Shade Evergreen Bloom Bloom Fruit Notes Name (ft) Sun Shade Color Period Color Betony-leaf 2-3 X X Blue Year- Showy blue clusters. Host of Rounded Mistflower, Padre betonicifolium round Metalmark butterflies. Island Mistflower Dakota Vervain, Glandularia 10 in. X X Purple- Year- Showy purple-pink flowers. Will die back in Prairie Verbena, bipinnatifida pink round winter and return in Spring. Moradilla Silky Leaf Frogfruit Phyla strigulosa 10 in. X X X White Spring- Spreads easily forming mats; use instead of Fall grass; nectar source for small butterfly species. Host for Phaeon Crescent, White Peacock, and Common Buckeye. Can be grown in container. Texas Frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora 10 in. X X X White Spring- Spreads easily forming mats; use instead of Common Frogfruit Fall grass; nectar source for small butterfly species. Host of Phaeon Crescent, White Peacock, and Common Buckeye. Can be grown in container. Tube Tongue, False Justicia pilosella 1 X X X X Light Spring- Lower stems can be woody; use as Honeysuckle purple Fall groundcover; nectar source for small butterfly species. Can be grown in container.