Eckert’s Gardening Tips:
Butterfly Gardening
Bring motion and beauty to your garden by inviting butterflies. The following lists include plants for butterflies. Remember to provide plants for larvae (caterpillars) too! Then the adults will linger longer.
Shelter
Butterflies will seek an environment with tall plants to offer protection from strong winds. On inclement weather days, they will also be looking for places to stay out of the rain!
Perches Be sure to include resting spots, such as rocks or logs. Butterflies must warm their wings in the sun before they can take flight. This is a terrific time to observe their markings as they fan their wings.
Water
Always include a water source. A birdbath, fountain, pond or even a puddle will look attractive to a thirsty butterfly!
Food
In general, butterflies are not very picky about their food sources. However the lists below will indicate plants found to be popular with our winged friends in the St. Louis area. In addition, groupings of colorful flowers seem to be more attractive to butterflies than single plants, especially when contrasting colors are planted side by side. Butterflies prefer bright colors such as red, yellow, orange, dark pink and purple.
Don’t forget to include some host plants (plants where the female adults lay their larvae). These plants are also the primary food source for the hatched larvae. Although these are sometimes weedy looking plants and may look best if planted towards the back of the garden, they are critical food sources for the complete lifecycle of the butterfly.
Annuals for Butterflies
- Ageratum
- Cosmos (we have seeds)
- Dianthus
- Four-o-clocks
- Lantana (trailing or upright)
- Annual Phlox
- Salvia
- Marigolds
- Nicotiana
- Petunias
- Spider flower
- Zinnias
- Sweet Pea
Perennials for Butterflies
- Astilbe
- Bachelor’s Buttons/ Centaurea
- Black-eyed Susan
- Blazing Star
- Butterflyweed
- Butterfly Bush
- Hardy Geranium
- Hardy Hibiscus
- Phlox
- Purple Coneflower
- Scabiosa/ Pincushion Flower
- Shasta Daisy
- Showy Sedum
- Yarrow
- Yucca
- Hollyhocks
Herbs for Butterflies
- Lavender
- Mint
- Thyme
- Fennel
Shrubs & Trees for Butterflies
- Dogwood
- Lilac
- Serviceberry
- Buckeye
- Birch
- Hawthorn
- Ash
- Rose of Sharon
- Spicebush
- Sycamore
- Potentilla
- Oak
- Willow
- Viburnum
- Spirea
- Blackberry & Raspberry
Food for Larvae (many of these are wild plants)
- Asters
- Clover
- Milkweed
- Thistle
- Queen Anne’s Lace
- Parsley (Swallowtails lay eggs on this plant)
- Dill (Swallowtails lay eggs on this plant)
For more wonderful information on butterflies visit the Butterfly House website or better yet – Visit! The Butterfly House is located in Chesterfield, MO. They can be reached at (636) 530 0076. Admission is free with your Missouri Botanical Garden Membership.
