Butterflies and other wildlife rely on native plants to provide food throughout their entire lifecycle. These tables give examples of excellent native plants commonly found in the Southeast that should be our first choices for landscaping, particularly in butterfly and pollinator gardens. Although these tables refer to butterflies, these plants support almost all native and introduced pollinators like honeybees. TOP NATIVE BUTTERFLY HOST PLANTS (CATERPILLARS) Name Height Butterfly Caterpillars Comments American Hackberry 75’ Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor, Birds eat fruit Celtis occidentalis American Snout, Question Mark, Mourning Cloak Wild Cherry Tree 75’ Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cecropia Good tree for wildlife Prunus serotina moth, Red spotted Purple, Coral Hairstreak Elm trees Varies Question Mark, Red Admiral, Shade and drought Ulmus species Comma tolerant Sassafras 20‐60’ Spicebush Swallowtail Summer/fall berries also Sassafras albidum attract birds Pawpaw 16’ Zebra Swallowtail Sole host for this Asiminia triloba caterpillar Milkweeds Varies Monarch 13 native species, Asclepias important nectar plants False indigo 24‐36” Silver‐spotted skipper Drought tolerant; Baptisia nitrogen fixing Dutchman’s Pipevine Vine Pipevine Swallowtail Shade Aristolochia Passionvine Vine Gulf and Variegated Fritillaries Easy to grow; can be Passiflora incarnate aggressive Golden alexander 30” Black Swallowtail Tolerates some shade Zizea aurea Pussytoes Groundcover American Lady Dry shade, allelopathic Antennaria plantaginifolia Asters (large family) Varies Pearl Crescent Important nectar plants as well Thistles Varies Painted Lady Also good nectar plants Spicebush 6‐12’ Spicebush Swallowtail Part sun; need both male Lindera benzoin and female for berries Toothwort 8‐16: West Virginia White Spring ephemeral Dentaria Violets 4‐6” Variegated Fritillary Cool shade Viola sp. Smooth rock cress To 40” Falcate Orangetip Spring only Arabis laevigata Wild Ones promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild Ones is a national not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization. Please contact as at [email protected] or visit our website http://tennesseevalley.wildones.org . TOP NATIVE NECTAR PLANTS Name Height Color Bloom Butterfly Attracted Comments Spring beauty 4‐12” Pink, white 3‐5 Falcate Orangetip Rich woodland soil Claytonia virginica Toothwort 8‐16” White 3‐5 West Virginia White, Wooded shade Dentaria sp. Falcate Orangetip Rose verbena 0‐24” Deep pink, 3‐9 Many Needs dry, rocky soil Verbena Canadensis purple Redbud Tree 20‐35’ Pink 4‐5 Hairstreaks, Tolerates dry soil Cercis Canadensis Duskywings Locust tree 50‐75’ White 4‐6 Silver‐spotted Skipper Upland, dry Robinia pseudoacacia Native honeysuckle Vine Bright 4‐9 Many Make sure it is a Loncera sempervirens scarlet NATIVE honeysuckle Bottlebrush buckeye 10‐15’ White 5‐6 Swallowtails Light shade Aesculus parviflora Summersweet 2‐6’ White, pink 5‐6 Many Will bloom in shade Clethra alnifolia Buttonbush 3‐10’ White 6‐8 Swallowtails, Ladies Needs low, wet areas Cephalanthus occidentalis Bee balm 1‐3’ White, 5‐9 Many 7 native species Monarda sp. pink, red Coreopsis 10”‐3’ Yellow, 5‐9 Many 8 native species Coreopsis sp. orange Swamp rose mallow 4‐7’ White 6‐9 Several Needs wet, sunny area Hibiscus moscheutos Purple coneflower 2‐4’ Pink, 6‐10 Many Easy to grow from Echinacea purpurea purple seed Blazing star 8”‐4’ Purple 7‐9 Many 7 native species Liatris sp Mountain mints 2‐4’ White 7‐8 Various 3 native species Pycnanthemum sp Cardinal Flower 2‐6’ Red 7‐9 Many Needs wet soil Lobelia cardinalis Joe pye‐weed 2‐10’ Pink 7‐9 Swallowtails 3 native species, Eupatorium sp. needs moisture Pickerel‐weed 2’ Violet‐blue 7‐9 Black Swallowtail Shallow water, full sun Pontederia cordata Mistflower 1‐3’ Blue 7‐10 Many Adaptable and free Conoclinium coelestinum seed sowing Goldenrod 1‐6’ Yellow, 7‐10 Many 33 native species, Solidago sp. white shade to sun Great Blue lobelia 2‐5’ Purple 8‐9 Several Fall‐blooming Lobelia siphilitica Ironweed 5‐9’ Purple, 8‐9 Several Prefers moist, acidic Vernonia magenta soil New England aster Varies Purple, 8‐10 Many Likes moist to wet soil Symphyotrichum novae‐angliae pink Phlox 1‐4’ Pink, blue, Varies Many 11 native species, Phlox sp. white shade to sun Wild Ones promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild Ones is a national not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization. Please contact as at [email protected] or visit our website http://tennesseevalley.wildones.org . .