Central Coast California native plants generally available in nursery trade, from specialty native plant nurseries or plant sales, that provide nectar for a number of specific butterfly and Moth species. Complied from many sources Jeffrey A. Caldwell, supplemented and edited for local Monterey County Species by Pat Regan Healthy plants under good moisture conditions produce more nectar. Usually plants in sheltered, sunny locations get more attention. The minimum patch size in flower for one species to be likely to be "found" and used is roughly 25 square feet. Maximum interest is generated when eight or more attractive species in significant patches are in flower simultaneously. For butterfly gardens, bigger is better! Instead of flower nectar, many butterflies are attracted to rotting fruit. A few are attracted to tree sap, as from the wounds made by a sapsucker to living trees. Fresh dung and mud are other items of sustenance of importance to many butterflies. Achillea millefolium. White Yarrow. Edith's Checkerspot, California Propertius Duskywing, Mournful Duskywing, Tortoiseshell, West Coast Lady, Painted Common Ringlet, West Coast Lady, Painted Lady, Common Buckeye, Satyr Anglewing, Lady, Common Checkerspot, American Calippe Fritillary, Crown Fritillary, Monarch, Painted Lady, Purplish Copper, Gray Common Ringlet, Cabbage White, Orange Hairstreak, Marine Blue, Eastern Tailed Sulphur, Large Marble, Great Copper, Blue, Anise Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Acmon Blue, Thicket Hairstreak, Gold- Orange Sulphur, Western Brown Elfin, Fiery Hunter's Hairstreak, Hedgerow Hairstreak, Skipper, Umber Skipper. Dryope Hairstreak, Great Purple Hairstreak, California Hairstreak, the Farmer, Umber Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink' Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Propertius photographs document its popularity with Duskywing, Silver-spotted Skipper, Northern butterflies. Cloudy-wing, Farmer (principal nectar Adenostoma fasciculatum. Chamise. source). Greenish Blue. Agastache urticifolia. Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop. Aesculus californica. California Buckeye. 'One of the best' for butterflies' (B. Wilson); Western Tiger Swallowtail (pollinator), Anise Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Pale Monarch. Western Tiger Swallowtail. Swallowtail, Two-tailed Swallowtail, Allium spp. Wild Onions. Common Checkerspot (a favored source!), Edith's Checkerspot, Propertius Dusky-wing Tailed Copper, Gorgon Copper, Spring Azure, California Sister, Mourning Cloak, Lorquin's Admiral, Northern Checkerspot, 1 UC Master Gardeners Monterey Bay Smart Gardening Fair 2017 American Painted Lady, Great Purple Amorpha californica. (California False Hairstreak & Great Copper. Indigo). California Dogface. Armeria maritima. Seathrift. Anaphalis margaritacea. Pearly Skippers, Blues, Green Hairstreak. Everlasting. Anise Swallowtail, Mylitta Crescent, Aralia californica. Elk Clover. Woodland Skipper, American Painted Lady. Drew 'droves of hungry butterflies' according to Bay Natives. Aquilegia formosa. Western Columbine. Pale Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail, Silvery Arctostaphylos spp. Manzanitas. Blue, Acmon Blue, Common Ringlet, California Tortoiseshell. Monarch. Many Common Wood Nymph. moths. Apocynum spp. Dogbanes. Asclepias spp. Milkweeds. Boisduval's Marble, Western Sulphur, Great Monarch, Clodius Parnassian, Western Copper, Gorgon Copper, California Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Red Hairstreak, Sylvan Hairstreak, Thicket Admiral, Orange Sulphur, Acmon Blue, Hairstreak, Johnson's Hairstreak, Gray American Painted Lady, Common Buckeye, Hairstreak, Field Crescent, Northern Boisduval's Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Spring Checkerspot, Common Checkerspot, Azure, Silver-spotted Skipper, Cabbage Lorquin's Admiral, Ox-eye Satyr, Woodland White, Checkered White, Western Sulphur, Satyr, Silver-spotted Skipper, Northern Great Purple Hairstreak, Sylvan Hairstreak, Cloudy-wing, Propertius Dusky-wing, Thicket Hairstreak, Johnson's Hairstrea, Mournful Dusky-wing, Dodge's Skipper, Field Crescent, Northern Checkerspot, Columbia Skipper, Farmer Common Checkersot, Lorquin's Admiral, Woodland Satyr, Mournful Dusky-wing, Apocynum androsaemifolium. Spreading Dodge's Skipper, Columbia Skipper Dogbane. Fritillaries, West Coast Lady, Clodius Asclepias cordifolia. Heartleaf Milkweed. Parnassian, Dun Skipper, Sylvan Clark's Sphinx, Monarch, many butterflies Hairstreak, Hedgerow Hairstreak, Lorquin's Asclepias fascicularis. Narrowleaf Admiral, Gray Hairstreak, Common Milkweed. Buckeye, Checkered White, Pacuvius 'Super' for butterflies, at least 10 species. Dusky-wing, Persius Dusky-wing ('addicted' Western Tiger Swallowtail, American (Shapiro) to this nectar!). Painted Lady, Acmon Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Apocynum cannabinum. Indian Hemp. Mourning Cloak, Queen, Monarch, Least Western Tiger Swallowtail, Fritillaries, West Checkered Skipper; excellent nectar source Coast Lady; Clodius Parnassian, Dun for Mt. Diablo butterflies. Twelve species Skipper, Sachem, Silver-spotted Skipper, were collected on one large patch; also Sylvan Hairstreak, Hedgerow Hairstreak, attract nocturnal moths. Lorquin's Admiral, Red Admiral, Gray Asclepias speciosa. Showy Milkweed. Hairstreak, Common Buckeye, Spring Western Tiger Swallowtail, Gray Hairstreak, Azure, Eastern Tailed Blue, Monarch, Spring Azure, Red Admiral, Painted Lady Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur; favorite of 2 UC Master Gardeners Monterey Bay Smart Gardening Fair 2017 Asteraceae. Dodge's Skipper, Lindsey's Bloomeria crocea. Common Goldenstar. Skipper 'Great' for butterflies. Aster sp. Castilleja exserta. Purple Owl's Clover. Clodius Parnassian, West Coast Lady, Quino Checkerspot Painted Lady, Common Checkerspot, Gray Hairstreak, Cabbage White, Checkered Ceanothus spp. and vars. Wild Lilac. White, Buckeye, Skippers, Coppers, Anise especially white-flowered forms. Swallowtail, Orange Sulphur, Purplish 'butterflies', Common Buckeye, Gray Copper, Crown Fritillary, Lorquin's Admiral, Hairstreak, Thicket Hairstreak, Johnson's California Ringlet, Columbia Skipper, Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Western Meadow Sandhill Skipper Fritillary. Aster chilensis. Common California Aster. Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var.griseus. Orange Sulphur, Mormon Metalmark, Field Cabbage White. Crescent, Monarch, Sandhill Skipper, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus. Common Buckeye, skippers, West Coast Pale Swallowtail, Echo Blue, Common Lady, Mylitta Crescent Buckeye, California Tortoiseshell, Brown Baccharis douglasii. Marsh Baccharis. Elfin (other Ceanothus attract these, also). Tailed Copper, Acmon Blue, American Ceanothus 'Wheeler Canyon'. Painted Lady, Common Buckeye; "generally Western Tiger Swallowtail. attractive, especially to coppers, blues, hairstreaks and buckeyes" Shapiro. Cercis occidentalis. Western Redbud. Western Brown Elfin, Echo Blue. Baccharis pilularis. Coyotebrush. Shapiro: "all fall butterflies including blues, Chilopsis linearis. Desert Willow. ladies, buckeye, purplish copper, gray Monarch hairstreak and various skippers" Purplish Copper, Western Pygmy Blue, Acmon Blue, Cirsium spp. Thistles. Painted Lady, Common Buckeye, California Clark's Sphinx, Common Checkerspot, Sister Pipevine Swallowtail, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Pale Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'. Swallowtail, California Dogface, Orange 'Small butterflies' Sulphur, Checkered White, Large Marble, California Dogface, Hedgerow Hairstreak, Berberis aquifolium. Oregon Grape. Western Meadow Fritillary, Zerene Fritillary, Painted Lady. Callippe Fritillary, Unsilvered Fritillary, Field Berberis nevinii. Nevin's Barberry. Crescent, Lorquin's Admiral, California Monarch Sister, Monarch, Lindsey's Skipper, Sachem Bidens laevis. Larger Bur-marigold. Cirsium occidentale. Western Thistle. Orange Sulphur, Duskywings, Painted Lady, 'Butterflies'. Monarch. California Dogface, Mormon Metalmark, Clarkia sp. Skippers Common Buckeye, Red Admiral, Monarch, blues, hairstreaks. 3 UC Master Gardeners Monterey Bay Smart Gardening Fair 2017 Clarkia unguiculata. Elegant Fairyfans. Erigeron glaucus. Seaside Daisy. and Clark's Sphinx, "butterflies" vars. Mylitta Crescent (strongly drawn), Common Claytonia perfoliata. Indian Lettuce. White, Common Checkerspot, West Coast Spring Azure. Lady, Painted Lady, skippers, Gray Hairstreak, Green Hairstreak, Mournful Clematis sp. Virgin's Bower. Common Wood Nymph. Duskywing, Mylitta Crescent 'Cape Sebastian'. Adored by butterflies. Cornus sericea. Redtwig Dogwood. 'Wayne Roderick'. Great for butterflies, Orange Sulphur. including Monarch, Common Checkered Skipper. Delphinium variegatum. Royal Larkspur. Western Tiger Swallowtail, Bay Eriodictyon californicum. Yerba Santa. Checkerspot Western Tiger Swallowtail, Pale Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Common Checkerspot Dendromecon rigida. Bush Poppy.. (major source), Northern Checkerspot, Edith's Checkerspot, Funereal Duskywing, Dichelostema capitatum. Blue Dicks. swallowtails, Sara Orange-tip, Lorquin's Clark's Sphinx, Common Checkerspot, Bay Admiral, Small Marble, Boisduval's Marble, Checkerspot, Propertius Duskywing, Western Sulphur, California Hairstreak, Mournful Duskywing, Common Ringlet, Hedgerow Hairstreak, Thicket Hairstreak, Sara Orange-tip (favored source), Monarch, Johnson's Hairstreak, Nelson's Hairstreak, California Dogface, Pale Swallowtail, Western Brown Elfin, Arrowhead Blue, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Northern Propertius Dusky-wing, Mournful Dusky- Cloudy-wing, wing . Locally the next best nectar plant Dichelostema congestum. Ookow. after the California Buckeye. Propertius Duskywing, Mournful Duskywing, Eriodictyon