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Discovering the basics of butterfly life is a great way to learn how to draw these beautiful creatures into your garden for a closer look. These winged jewels are so varied in their size and color – and so thrilling to watch – that even the most beautiful ground-bound plants provide only a backdrop to their motion.  Plant prickly ash, rue and citrus – even conifers – and a giant swallowtail might just pop into your garden for a visit. (The giant swallowtail is one of the largest North American butterfly species, with a wingspan that often reaches 5 inches!) Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard You can get in on all the excitement by familiarizing yourself with butterfly preferences, starting with host plants – those specific species that particular butterflies use to lay their eggs and then serve as a food source for hatching larvae. The following list contains a number of common North American butterfly and colorful moth species that you may see in your local area, along with the preferred plants on which they lay their eggs. If you want to invite some of these stunning creatures into your garden, try planting some of their host plants and see who comes for a visit – and stays to raise a family.
Common North American Butterflies
| Butterflies | Common Host Plants |
| American copper (Lycaena hypophlaeas) |
Sheep sorrel |
| American painted lady (Vanessa virginiensis) |
Buckeye, hollyhock, mimulus, snapdragon, plantain, thistle, verbena |
| American snout (Libytheana carinenta) |
Hackberry, violet |
| Anicia checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) |
Figwort (Scrophulariaceae), snowberry |
| Anise swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) |
Carrot, lemon, lime, orange |
| Appalachian eyed brown (Satyrodes appalachia) |
Sedges |
| Atlantis fritillary (Speyeria atlantis) |
Violet |
| Baltimore (Euphydryas phaeton) |
Plantain, turtle head (Chelone glabra) |
| Banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) |
Oak, nuts |
| Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) |
Carrot |
| Brown elfin (Incisalia augustinus) |
Blueberry, lilac |
| Buckeye (Junonia coenia) |
Snapdragon, vervain |
| Cabbage white (Pieris rapae) |
Cabbage, mustard, nasturtium |
| California sister (Limenitis bredowii) |
Oak |
| Checkered white (Pontia protodice) |
Mustard |
| Clouded sulfur (Colias philodice) |
Clover, legumes, marigold |
| Cloudless sulfur (Phoebis sennae) |
Senna (Cassia sp.) |
| Comma (Polygonia comma) |
Hops, nettle |
| Common snout (Libytheana carinenta) and American snout (L. bachmanii) |
Hackberry, violet |
| Common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala) |
Grasses |
| Coral hairstreak (Satyrium titus) |
Cherry, plum |
| Eastern tailed blue (Everes comyntas) |
Legume |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail or lack swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) |
Carrot |
| Eyed-brown satyr (Lethe eurydice) |
Grasses |
| Giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes or Heraclides cresphontes) |
Prickly ash, citrus, rue |
| Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) |
Cactus, corn, hops, legumes, mallow, mint, snapdragon, strawberry |
| Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) |
Passionflower, violet, willow |
| Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) |
Only carnivorous butterfly (feeds on aphids, plantlice) |
| Little copper (Lycaena phlaeas) |
heep sorrel |
| Little yellow (Eurema lisa) |
Legumes |
| Meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona) |
Violet |
| Monarch (Danaus plexippus) |
Milkweed |
| Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) |
Birch, cottonwood, elm, hackberry, poplar, willow |
| Mylitta crescent (Phyciodes mylitta) |
Aster, thistle |
| Olive hairstreak (Mitoura grynea) |
Cedar |
| Olive hairstreak (Mitoura grynea) |
Cedar |
| Orange sulfur (Colias eurytheme) |
Alfalfa, clover, legumes, marigold |
| Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) |
Daisy, thistle |
| Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos) |
Aster |
| Queen (Danaus gilippus) |
Milkweed |
| Question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) |
Elm, hackberry, hops |
| Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) |
Nettle, false nettle |
| Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis subsp. astyanax) |
Cherry, poplar, willow |
| Satyr (Polygonia satyrus) |
Nettle |
| Silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) |
Legumes |
| Southern dogface (Colias cesonia) |
Clover, legumes |
| Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) |
Sassafras, spicebush (Lindera benzoin) |
| Spring azure (Celestrina ladon or C. argiolus) |
Blueberry, Ceanothus sp., dogwood, lupine, viburnum |
| Variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) |
Passionflower, violet |
| Veined white (Pieris napi) |
Mustard |
| Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) |
Cherry, milkweed, poplar, willow |
| Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) |
Hops, poplar, willow |
| Zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) |
Pawpaw | Colorful Moths
| Notable Moths | Common Host Plants |
| Cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) |
Apple, cherry, elderberry, maple, plum |
| Five-spotted hawk sphinx (Manduca quinquemaculata) |
Phlox, tomato |
| Io (Automaris io) |
Corn, rose |
| Luna (Actias luna) |
White birch, sweet gum, persimmon, black walnut, willow |
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| Warnings |
- To be successful, your entire butterfly garden needs to be maintained using strictly organic methods. That means avoiding every pesticide or biological control method used for caterpillars (even those labeled “organic”), or you may inadvertently kill off your butterflies.
- Only a few butterflies and their relatives – cabbage, mourning cloak and alfalfa among them – are considered plant pests. Some species migrate thousands of miles to lay their eggs and die, while their offspring magically retain the instinctive ability to return to the place where their parents fed and mated.
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| Facts |
- The striking color patterns on butterfly wings are caused by optical refraction patterns from light bouncing off its thousands of tiny scales.
- Like lots of gardening trends, butterfly gardening came to the US from Europe, where it started in the 1980s. The trend really got its big American kickoff in 1988 with the opening of Butterfly World in Florida.
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| Tips |
- Because butterfly larvae eat the host plants they hatch on, your plants can get a bit raggedy. If your only option to help keep the area looking tidy is to trim off unsightly leaves, just be sure they don’t have a chrysalis (a pupa’s protective covering) attached.
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| Resources |
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