What plant is best for butterflies?
Butterfly Garden FlowersPhlox. Phlox is a low-growing, spreading plant that forms a blanket of blooms all summer. ... Coneflower (Echinacea) Coneflower is one of the best flowers for attracting butterflies. ... Lantana. ... Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) ... Pot Marigolds. ... Black-Eyed Susan. ... Blazing Star Flowers (Liatris spicata) ... Heliotrope.More items...
What is the monarch butterflies favorite host plant?
Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly.
What plant do butterflies lay their eggs on?
For example, the Black Swallowtail butterfly lays eggs on the carrot family of plants such as fennel, dill, parsley and carrot. They also use the Rue plant. The Monarch butterfly host plants are the family of milkweed plants. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly will lay eggs on passion vines.
What are host plants for Queen butterfly?
The queen larvae feed on Apocynaceae (milkweeds and dogbanes). It can survive on a number of hosts. Common plants include butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and bloodflower (Asclepias curassavica). In the West Indies, blunt-leaved milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) and honey vine (Cynanchum laeve) is favored.
What is a monarchs favorite flower?
The relationship between the monarch butterfly and its host plant, native milkweed, is well known. Adult monarchs sip nectar from milkweed, and lay their eggs among its leaves. Monarch caterpillars depend upon milkweed plants for survival. One monarch caterpillar can eat over 20 milkweed leaves in its lifetime!
Where should you not plant milkweed?
It is not recommended to plant milkweed within 10 miles of the coast in central and northern California where milkweed did not occur historically. Instead, plant a variety of flowers native to your region that provide nectar from early spring through fall to support monarchs and other pollinators.
Is lavender a host plant for butterflies?
Lavender. There are many species of butterfly that are attracted to lavender. Lavender is a beautiful purple plant that not only smells wonderful and has calming properties, attracts butterflies as well.
Are marigolds good for butterflies?
Marigolds are inexpensive and fun butterfly plants that are incredibly easy to care for. A good choice to plant with kids, their bright blooms are great for attracting butterflies all season long either in containers or the garden. Marigolds are also easy enough for beginners to grow from seeds.
Is Basil a host plant for butterflies?
1. African Blue Basil (Ocimum gratissimum): This is an amazing herb that doubles as a butterfly and bee magnet. I always plant this right in the center of my vegetable gardens to draw in the bees and butterflies so that my veggies will be well-pollinated. You can also use the leaves in your recipes that call for basil.
Is milkweed the only host plant for monarchs?
Milkweed is the sole host plant to the monarch butterfly's caterpillar, but keeping milkweed as part of our landscape is important to more than just monarch butterflies. Here some species that also use milkweed in various ways.
Is Jasmine a host plant for butterflies?
Jasmine will grow in sun and shade but will produce more flowers with more light, like most plants. Most jasmine attracts bees, birds and butterflies. All of these plants are great around your pool, lanai, or deck or anywhere you spend time around your house or garden.
Is Mint a host plant for butterflies?
Mint of various kinds is also a good nectar source and a host for Painted Lady and White Peacock butterflies as well as Gray Hairstreaks. Mountain mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum, is said to be a particular favorite of butterflies and other pollinators because of its many flowers and long bloom time.
Where do butterflies lay their eggs?
Eggs are often laid on the tips of buds, usually quite high up on the tree or bush. This way they are less likely to be found by ants. Female butterflies often spend long periods probing about with the tips of their abdomens, being extremely careful about the positioning of each individual egg.
What plants do Peacock butterflies lay their eggs on?
Peacock Butterfly Life Cycle The females lay one egg in the most suitable place, for example, on the underside of a nettle leaf, then neatly rolls it up with her mouthparts to protect it from predators. The elderberry tree is one of the common plants that these adult butterflies use as a place to lay their eggs.
Do monarch butterflies lay eggs on other plants?
According to the researchers, most monarch conservation efforts have focused on planting milkweed because of its critical role in the insect's life cycle: monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed, and the caterpillars that emerge eat only milkweed.
Do monarchs lay eggs on other plants?
Milkweeds are the only host plants for larval monarch butterflies, but female oviposition preference for different milkweed species, especially those with overlapping ranges, is not well documented.
What Butterfly Host Plants Do You Grow?
Readers share how they support local caterpillar and butterfly populations in their own gardens.
What butterfly plant is good for a fritillary?
Butterfly benefits: Violets are the butterfly host plants for the widespread great spangled fritillary, as well as western fritillaries like Mormon, callippe and zerene.
What caterpillars eat passionflower?
Butterfly benefits: Several fritillary caterpillars munch on passionflower. A couple of common ones are the gulf fritillary and the variegated fritillary.
What do butterfly caterpillars eat?
Butterfly benefits: A western species, the two-tailed swallowtail caterpillar enjoys feeding on the foliage of the chokecherry tree.
Why do butterflies need host plants?
Plant butterfly host plants to give caterpillars food to eat and a place to grow through their lifecycle. Nectar plants give butterfly gardens a powerful boost. But they’re not the only key to drawing pretty pollinators to your yard. As your favorite winged beauties transition through their life cycle, many lay eggs on the undersides ...
How tall do hollyhocks get?
It comes in many colors, attracts an array of insects and can reach up to 8 feet in height. Plant hollyhocks in full sun and along a fence or wall for stability. Butterfly benefits: Painted lady caterpillars rely on several different plants as food sources, including hollyhocks and various spring annuals.
What do butterflies eat?
And butterflies do most of their eating during their larval phase as caterpillars, feeding exclusively on the leaves of host plants specific to their species. Many people know monarchs need milkweed, but there are many other butterfly host plants you should consider adding to your garden.
Where are butterfly larvae found?
Butterfly Larval Host Plant List. The butterfly species on this list are all native to Pennsylvania. Some of them are found throughout the state and others occur locally in connection with the larval host plants. Many butterfly species have adapted to feed upon non-native plants if the plants are in the same family as the native larval host.
Do butterflies have host plants?
There are additional larval host plants for many of the butterflies listed, especially the species which feed on many plant families. Some butterflies also exhibit local host plant preferences depending upon plant availability and habitat. Female butterflies can travel for miles in search of host plants to lay their eggs upon.
Do butterflies eat non-native plants?
Many butterfly species have adapted to feed upon non-native plants if the plants are in the same family as the native larval host. Some of these plants are highly invasive and should never be cultivated. There are additional larval host plants for many of the butterflies listed, especially the species which feed on many plant families.
What is the plant that gives butterflies shelter?
Flowering plants such as Passion Vine and Milkweed, herbs like Fennel, and trees such as Sweet Bay Magnolia are all used as host plants.
How to make a butterfly garden?
Creating a list of host plants is the first step towards planning a butterfly garden. Since different plant species attract different butterflies, you need to choose the right host plants for the survival of caterpillars. You should have a mixture of host plants and nectar-rich flowering plants if you want to increase the variety of butterflies in your landscape. Some nectar-producing plants include butterfly weed, milkweed, butterfly bush, ironweed, asters, verbena, common zinnia, Mexican sunflower, tickseed sunflower, Brazilian vervain, and chaste tree.
What plants feed on fruit?
Poplar,cottonwood, willow. Zebra Swallowtail. Paw-paw. Aside from host plants and nectar-rich plants, you may offer a fruit-feeding station, because some species like the monarch, mourning cloak, question mark, and red-spotted purple, feed on fruits.
What are some nectar producing plants?
Some nectar-producing plants include butterfly weed, milkweed, butterfly bush, ironweed, asters, verbena, common zinnia, Mexican sunflower, tickseed sunflower, Brazilian vervain, and chaste tree. Butterfly Host Plant. Here we have listed a few host plants that will attract some of the more common butterfly species to your garden.
Why do butterflies seek out host plants?
Adult butterflies will seek out these plants to lay their eggs on because they know that the caterpillar cannot travel far and will not survive if placed on a plant that they cannot eat.
Why do butterflies need nectar?
The key to a successful butterfly garden is to plant both nectar and host plants so that the butterflies will have a food source in all stages of their life cycles. Nectar plants are simply plants that produce nectar as a reproductive strategy. Almost all flowering plants produce nectar and many host plants double as a nectar sources.
Why do plants produce alkaloids?
As a defense mechanism, plants have evolved to produce chemical alkaloids, also known as secondary metabolites, in order to deter herbivory (wildlife feeding on plants).
How to find out which plants are native to your area?
To find out which plants are native to your area visit the Native Plants Database. Be prepared for your plants to be eaten. It is important to remember that the leaves of these plants will get eaten but that is the whole point! For this reason, it might be a good idea to plant them in less visible areas.
Can butterfly bush be a host plant for caterpillars?
Ironically, butterfly bush does not serve as a host plant for any native species of caterpillars.
How to make a butterfly garden?
To create a butterfly garden, you’ll need to select an area in full sun and sheltered from high winds. This area should be designated only for butterflies and should not have birdhouses, baths or feeders in it.
Why is butterfly gardening so popular?
Butterfly gardening has become popular in recent years. Butterflies and other pollinators are finally being recognized for the important role they play in ecology. Gardeners all over the world are creating safe habitats for butterflies. With the right plants, you can create your own butterfly garden. Read on to learn more about the best plants for attracting butterflies and butterfly host plants.
Why do butterflies like flowers?
There are many plants and weeds that attract butterflies. Butterflies have good vision and are attracted to large groups of brightly colored flowers. They are also attracted to strong scented flower nectar. Butterflies tend to favor plants with flower clusters or large flowers so that they can land safely for a while sucking the sweet nectar out.
What do butterflies lay their eggs on?
Butterfly host plants are the specific plants that butterflies lay their eggs on or near so that their caterpillar larvae can eat the plant before forming its chrysalis. These plants are basically sacrificial plants that you add to the garden and allow the caterpillars to feast on and grow into healthy butterflies.
What are the caterpillars that eat the leaves of their host plants?
After hatching from their eggs, caterpillars will spend their entire larval stage eating the leaves of their host plants until they are ready to make their chrysalises and become butterflies. Some butterfly host plants are trees.
Do caterpillars attract butterflies?
As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said in The Little Prince, “Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars, if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” It is not enough to just have plants and weeds that attract butterflies. You will also need to include plants for butterfly eggs and larvae in your butterfly garden too.
Can you plant a butterfly garden near a tree?
Some butterfly host plants are trees. In these cases, you can try dwarf varieties of fruit or flowering trees or simply locate your butterfly garden near one of these larger trees. With the proper balance of plants and weeds that attract butterflies and butterfly host plants, you can create a successful butterfly garden. Printer Friendly Version.
