Follow these guidelines and keep butterflies in your garden all season!

Whether you want to become a butterfly pro or identify the butterfly in your garden, this guide has the information for you.

So you want to attract butterflies to your yard?  Follow guidelines to grow the garden which will keep butterflies in your backyard all season!

For information on specific types of butterflies and their desired plants, please see the Guide to Backyard Butterflies.

Area
The first aspect to investigate when planning your garden is your region.  Not all butterflies are found everywhere in North America.  Investigate which butterflies live in your region before you grow their attracting plants.

Season
If all your flowers bloom in May what will attract butterflies in July?  Choose a selection of plants that will bloom at different times to lure butterflies throughout the whole season.  The butterfly season typically begins in April and lasts through October.

Diversity
A larger selection of flowers will best appeal to a wide range of butterflies. A mixed variety of plants will attract a diversity of butterflies, which will contribute to a beautiful butterfly garden.

Plant Necessities
When choosing flowers for you garden, make sure you can afford the required necessities for your plants.  Does the flower need full sunlight or does it prefer shade?  If you live in an area that is prone to drought, you should select plants which are tolerable to the environment.  Match suitable butterfly-attracting flowers to your location to ensure the liveliness of your garden.

Host and Nectar Plants
When planning your garden, you should have a combination of host and nectar plants to ensure the butterflies stay around for a long time.  Use the Favorite Nectar and Host Plants page to find a general list of butterfly-attracting plants.

A host plant is the desired food for a larva or caterpillar. Females will deposit their eggs on the host plant, which will provide food for the larval caterpillars after it hatches.  Every type of caterpillar has a specific type of plant it will consume.  Some larvae have a wide range of acceptable host plants, while others are more specific to one plant only.

The nectar plant provides the adult butterfly with the life-sustaining food it will search for.  When searching for plants, many seed packets are marked as being great for attracting butterflies. 

Favorite Host and Nectar Plants

This page includes a general list of favored plants to attract a wide range of butterflies.  Include some of each to ensure a beautiful garden with blooming throughout the whole season.

For information on specific types of butterflies and their desired plants, please see the Guide to Backyard Butterflies.

Annuals
This type of plant comes to flower quickly and provides a long season of blooms. They are among the most adaptable of garden plants, only demanding good sunlight, water, and reasonably fertile soil.  This list includes some Annuals which are recommended for attracting butterflies, and will thrive in most zones in North America.

Alyssum
Anise
Candy tuft
Cornflower
Cosmos
Heliotrope
Impatiens
Lobelia
Marigold
Mexican sunflower
Nasturtium
Petunia
Salvia
Scabiosa
Scarlet sage
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Verbena
Zinnia

Perennials
Perennials are plants that grow for two or more years.   They range from “woody perennials” which develop a woody base or root system, and “herbaceous perennials” which do not.   Most perennials will life for long periods of time and flower over many seasons in their lifetime.  These perennials will thrive in most zones and attract many butterflies year after year.  The following is a list of perennials which will attract butterflies into your garden:

Alfalfa
Asters
Bee Balm
Butterfly bush
Butterfly weed
Clover (red or white)
Coreopsis
Day Lily
Dianthus
Lavender
Lupine
Milkweed
Mints
Passionflower
Phlox
Purple Coneflower
Prairie Clover
Sage
Salvia
Scabiosa
Shasta daisy
Thistle
Violet
Yarrow

Biennials
A biennial grows in the first year, flowers in the second and then goes to seed.  Many biennials are self-seeding, which will continue then continue the life cycle year after year.  The following is a list of biennial flowers which will appeal to a variety of butterflies:

Hollyhock
Parsley
Queen Anne’s lace
Sweet William

Herbs
In addition to flavoring foods, herbs can also be used to lure butterflies into your garden.  Many butterflies are attracted to herbs as a nectar source as well as a larval food source.  These herbs are known to attract butterflies:

Catnip
Chives
Dill
Lavender
Mint
Parsley
Sweet Fennel

Shrubs
Most shrubs have a short-term flower life, but also provide larval food and protection for the butterflies.  A few bushes and shrubs which will contribute to your butterfly habitat are:

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Buttonbush
Chokecherry
Cotoneaster
Crown flower
Firebush
Honeysuckle
Lilac
Mimosa
Mock Orange
Spicebush
Trumpet vine
Viburnum
Wild Plum

Trees
Many trees have a wide appeal to various types of butterflies for the larval food and nectar source, as well as protection.  The following trees are excellent choices for butterfly habitats.

Aspen
Birch
Cherry
Citrus
Cottonwood
Elm
Eucalyptus
Hackberry
Magnolia
Oak
Plum
Tulip tree
Willow

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Owner:
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Lindon, UT