5 Low-Maintenance Butterfly Host Plants
A Metamorphosis from Garden to Habitat
Turn your yard into a butterfly habitat with these 5 low-maintenance plants
Many butterfly species are facing habitat loss and population declines due to factors such as urbanization and agricultural practices. Through the simple act of planting and growing butterfly host plants, you contribute to the conservation of these species by providing a suitable habitat and food source for butterflies and their caterpillars.
As pollinators, butterflies facilitate the reproduction of flowering plants by transferring pollen between flowers, which is essential for the production of fruits and seeds. This, in turn, sustains the plant species that many animals rely on for food and shelter. Additionally, butterflies themselves, as well as their caterpillars, serve as a critical food source for numerous predators. Birds, bats, insects, and spiders are among the many creatures that include butterflies in their diets. Butterfly conservation holds significant importance for the environment due to its far-reaching impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity . Learn more at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
What is a Butterfly Host Plant?
A butterfly host plant is a type of plant that serves as a habitat and food source for butterfly larvae (caterpillars). Butterflies lay their eggs on these host plants, and when the eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed on the plant’s leaves. This relationship is essential for the lifecycle of butterflies, as caterpillars require specific plants to feed on before they pupate and transform into adult butterflies.
Different butterfly species have different host plant preferences. Each species of butterfly typically lays eggs on a specific type of plant. For example, the Monarch butterfly's primary host plant is the milkweed plant, while the Swallowtail butterfly might use plants like dill, fennel, or parsley as host plants.
Creating a butterfly garden with a variety of host plants can attract and support a diverse range of butterfly species, contributing to local biodiversity and helping these beautiful insects thrive. Read on to discover 5 easy, low-maintenance host plants to jumpstart your butterfly garden.
How Do I Attract Butterflies to My Garden?
Attracting butterflies to your garden involves creating a welcoming environment that provides them with the resources they need for feeding, shelter, mating, and laying eggs. Here are some steps you can take to attract butterflies to your garden:
Plant butterfly host plants. Providing these host plants in your garden can not only attract adult butterflies but also support their entire life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa (chrysalis) to adult. These plants are essential for the butterfly's life cycle and their availability positively impacts butterfly populations.
Plant butterfly nectar plants. Plant a variety of flowering plants that are known to attract butterflies and provide nectar. Different species of butterflies are attracted to different types of flowers, so aim for diversity in color, shape, and bloom time. Read more about nectar plants here.
Avoid pesticides. Pesticides can harm not only the pests they target but also butterflies and other beneficial garden insects. Avoiding the use of chemicals in your garden has several other benefits as well - for your health and the health of your pets, for the environment, and for the overall well-being of your garden ecosystem.
Include shelter. Provide sheltered areas in your garden, such as shrubs, tall grasses, and small trees, where butterflies can rest, hide from predators, and take refuge from strong winds.
Plant in mass. Instead of planting single plants, plant larger groups of the same type of plant in a concentrated area or pattern. This technique is often used by landscape designers to create visual impact, and will make it easier for butterflies to locate your garden’s food sources and host plants.
Be patient. Attracting butterflies can take time, as it may take a while for local butterfly populations to discover and visit your garden.
Discover These Five Easy-Care Host Plants for your Butterfly Garden:
The fragrant pink flowers of swamp milkweed (Asclepius incarnata).
Swamp Milkweed - Host Plant for Monarch and Queen Butterflies
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is an herbaceous perennial native to the wetlands, stream banks, and moist habitats across central and eastern North America. This native wildflower grows in zones 3-6 and does double duty as both a host plant and a nectar plant. Monarch and queen butterflies use swamp milkweed as a host plant, and lay their eggs on its leaves. When the eggs hatch, the hungry caterpillars will feast on the milkweed leaves, becoming larger and larger until it’s time to form a chrysalis. The flowers also provide nectar for monarchs and a variety of other butterflies, bees and pollinating insects.
Swamp milkweed thrives in full sun and moist, swampy conditions, yet is quite tolerant of average, well-draining garden soil. This tall perennial reaches a mature size of 3-4 feet high and 2-3 feet wide, and according to Rutgers University’s list of Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance, it is seldom severely damaged by deer. The fragrant, pink, tightly clustered flowers appear in late spring to summer, and are followed by elongated seed pods that split open to release furry seed clusters into the wind. The leaves and stems exude a milky sap when cut, and the plant also develops a deep taproot that does not like to be disturbed. Swamp milkweed is a favorite of aphids, and it’s best to leave these tiny orange bugs alone until beneficial predators arrive and eat them.
2. Purple Coneflower - Silvery Checkerspot Host Plant
A skipper butterfly sips nectar from a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an essential host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly. These butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of purple coneflower, and once hatched, the dark black-brown caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plant. The nectar-rich flowers of purple coneflower also attract a variety of adult butterflies, giving these winged beauties more reason to stick around your garden.
Purple coneflower is a low-maintenance, easy to grow plant, native to the Eastern and Central United States. It grows in zones 3-8, in full sun to partial shade, and will reach 2-4 feet high at maturity. Learn more about growing purple coneflower here.
3. Black-eyed Susans: Host Plant for Several Butterfly Species
A mass planting of black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a welcome sight for butterflies.
If you're trying to support the butterfly population in your yard, you can’t go wrong with Rudbeckia hirta, the black-eyed Susan. This iconic perennial plant with sunny, showy yellow flowers is a host plant for the bordered patch, silvery checkerspot, wavy-lined emerald, and gorgone checkerspot butterflies. It grows easily in zones 3-7, and despite being a short-lived biennial, it will happily self-sow and give you a continuous clump of plants for years to come.
Black-eyed Susans like full sun to partial shade, and grow 2-3 feet high with a 1-2 foot spread. This plant is low-maintenance and tolerates heat, drought and most soils except poorly-draining, wet sites. Yellow flowers with dark brown centers bloom from summer through early fall, depending on your gardening zone. This plant is native to the eastern and central United States.
4. Eastern Redbud Tree: Host Plant for Henry’s Elfin Butterfly
Cercis canadensis, commonly known as the eastern redbud tree, holds significant ecological value by providing essential support to bees, pollinating insects, birds, and butterflies.
The eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small, low-maintenance, deciduous tree with early spring flowers that emerge before the tree leafs out. It is one of the primary host plants for the small, early season Henry's Elfin butterfly. Female butterflies lay their eggs on the young leaves of the redbud, and once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed on the foliage. This tree is also a nectar source and attracts hoards of honey bees, native bees, and other butterflies to sip nectar from clusters of purple-pink flowers. In autumn, birds eagerly gobble up the ripened seed pods.
Eastern redbud trees are easy to grow in full sun to part shade and moist, well-draining soil in zones 4-9. They will eventually reaching a mature size of 20-30 feet high and 25-35 feet wide. Learn more about growing this central and eastern U.S. native here.
5. Butterfly Weed: A Host Plant for Monarch Butterflies
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) transforms this hot, dry strip, adjacent to a school playground, into a butterfly habitat.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is another type of milkweed, and also serves as a host plant for monarch butterflies during their lifecycle. Adult monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of this milkweed plant, and when the tiny caterpillars hatch, the plant leaves provide sustenance and essential nutrients required for their growth and development. Butterfly weed also produces nectar that feeds other butterfly species, bees, and pollinating insects. When flowering is done, elongated seed pods add visual interest to the plant and release fluffy white seed heads into the wind.
Butterfly weed grows in zones 3-9, and was selected as the Perennial Plant Association’s 2017 plant of the year. To successfully grow this U.S. native, select a sunny location and ensure that the soil is well-drained and not overly fertile, as this species prefers drier conditions. Water regularly to establish new plants and help with root development. Once established, butterfly weed is tough and drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering and little care.
What is the Butterfly Life Cycle?
There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult.
Egg: it begins with the egg stage, where a female butterfly lays her tiny eggs on a host plant. These eggs hatch into tiny caterpillars (larvae).
Larva: butterfly larvae (caterpillars) hatch from the eggs. Each caterpillar voraciously feeds on the host plant and undergoes a period of rapid growth and molting (shedding skin), until they are ready to pupate.
Pupa: the caterpillar creates a protective shell around itself, called a chrysalis, and undergoes metamorphosis. During metamorphosis, the caterpillar's body undergoes complex changes.
Adult: Emerging from the chrysalis, the butterfly enters the final stage of its life cycle, known as the adult stage. It spreads its wings, allowing them to dry and harden before taking its first flight. As an adult butterfly, it seeks out nectar-rich flowers to feed on, while also seeking a mate to continue the cycle of life.
““Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.””