To attract butterflies to your garden, you simply provide them with the kinds of plants that attract them. You can grow the host plants upon which the specific caterpillars feed. This is how you can have the specific butterflies that you want in your garden. You may also grow plants that butterflies will be attracted to without regard for any particular species. If you are interested in attracting specific kinds of butterflies to your garden you will need to find out if that species is found in your area. Consult a book on butterflies at a bookstore or your Free Public Library for that information.

Host plants for the caterpillars of specific butterflies:

Acanthus ­ Perennial: Julia, Pearly Crescentspot

Althaea, Shrub Althaea ­ Perennial: Mylitta Crescentspot

Amaranth ­ Annual: California Arctic

Anaphalis ­ Perennial: Atlantis Fritillary

Androsace ­ Annual: Tailed Copper

Aster ­ Perennial: Texas, Tawny & Orseis Crescentspots

Atriplex ­ Annual: Theona Checkerspot

Azalea ­ Annual: Hermes Copper, Titania's Fritillary

Balloon Vine ­ Annual: Small Blue

Baptisia ­ Perennial: White-Veined Arctic

Barbarea ­ Annual: West. Black Swallowtail, Tortoisedhell

Bleeding Heart ­ Perennial: Diana Swallowtail

Caper Spurge ­ Annual: Anise Swallowtail, Florida Leafwing

Cassia ­ Annual: Hairstreaks, Ocher Ringlet & Canada

Columbine ­ Perennial: Arctic

Coneflower ­ Perennial: Northwest Alpine

Daisy ­ Perennial: Orseis Crescentspot

Dicentra ­ Perennial: Vesta Crescentspot

False Foxglove ­ Perennial: Diana Swallowtail

False Indigo ­ Perennial: Chara Checkerspot

Flax ­ Perennial: Acis Hairstreak & Canada Arctic

Foxtail ­ Perennial: Rawson's Metalmark

Fragaria ­ Perennial: Roadside Skipper

Hibiscus ­ Perennial: Northern Blue

Hollyhock ­ Perennial: Arrowhead Blue

Honeysuckle ­ Perennial: Mylitta Crescentspot

Knotweed ­ Annual: Nokomis & Aphrodite Fritillaries

Lantana ­ Annual: Hairstreaks, Mountain Mahogany, American

Lathyrus ­ Perennial: Copper

Leadwort ­ Perennial: Western Tailed Blue, Miami Blue

Lupine ­ Perennial: Question Mark, Blue Copper, Melissa

Machaeranthera ­ Perennial: Arctic

Marigold ­ Annual: Blackburn's Bluet, Square-spotted Blue Question Mark, Hairstreaks, Blues

Nasturtium ­ Annual: Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail

Nettle ­ Annual: Great Spangled & Callippe Fritillaries

Queen Anne's Lace ­ Perennial: Giant Swallowtail, Polydamas Swallowtail

Ragwort ­ Perennial: Gorgon Copper

Rudbeckia ­ Annual: Orseis Crescentspot

Rue ­ Annual: Giant Swallowtail & Eastern Black Swallow

Sedum ­ Perennial: Diana Swallowtail & Golden Hairstreak

Sensitive Plant ­ Annual: Banded Hairstreak

Stonecrop ­ Perennial: Silvery Crescentspot

Sunflower ­ Annual: Sagebrush Checkerspot, Crescentspots

Verbena ­ Perennial: Monarch

Violet ­ Perennial: Rawson's Fatal, & Red-bordered Metalmark

Wormwood ­ Annual: Giant Swallowtail & Polydamus Swallowtail

Plants, Flowers, Shrubs that are Butterfly Attractors:

Ageratum Eupatorium P

Aster Aster fikartii P

Australian Petunias (wild flowers)

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta A & P

Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa P

Candytuft Iberis sempervirens P

Cassia A

Catmint Nepeta mussinii P

Chilean Flame Bush Hamelia patens

Chinese Flowering Vines Schizandra maximov

Clock Vine Thunbergia affinis

Coral Vine Antignon leptopus

Coreopsis Coreopsis auriculata P

Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus A

Daylily Hemerocallis P

Delphinium Delphinium elatum P

Dutchman's Pipe Vine Aristolochia durior

Heliotrope Heliotropium A

Hollyhock Alcea P

Honesty Lunaria annua A

Lavender Lavandula augustifolia P

Marigold Tagetes A

Morning-glory Ipomoea A

Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus A

Pansy Viola

Pearly Everlastings Anaphalis P

Phlox Phlox paniculata P

Pincushion Flower Scabiosa caucasica P

Thrift Armeria maritima P

Passion Vine

Pink Porterbush

Primrose Primula vulgaris P

Purple Coneflower Echinacia P

Red Cardinal's Feather Bush

Sea Holly Eryngium maritmum P

Shooting Star Butterfly Weed

Shrimp Plant Beloperone guttata

Snapdragon Antirrhinum majus A

Sunflower Helianthus annuus A

Sweet William Dianthus P

Turk's Cap Malaviscus

Verbena Verbena rigida P

Yarrow Achillea millefolium P

Zinnia A

A = Annual

P = Perennial

Some species will be Annual in some climate zones and Perennial in others. Find out if any of the plants listed here will need special care, wintering indoors, mulch, pruning, etc. in your climate zone.

Healthy plants when in bloom, will assure many butterflies.

Seeds of many of these Butterfly attracting Flowers, Plants, Trees, Vines and Shrubs are offered in the GreenDealer Seed Catalog.