Planting a Butterfly Garden

Attracting butterflies to your property in a safe and natural way is quite easy to do. And these beautiful pollinators may be enjoyed practically year round simply by knowing which plants to add to your garden.

Butterfly friendly plants are divided into two categories: host plants and nectar plants. The host plant is where a female adult butterfly lays hers eggs and it is this plant caterpillars eat for nourishment after they hatch. Nectar plants provide a food source for adult butterflies and other pollinators. 

The most successful butterfly gardens provide host and nectar plants, since each type of plant is needed for a butterflies’ life cycle. Sometimes these plants are the same, as is the case for milkweed, which is both the host plant and nectar source for Monarch butterflies — one of the most iconic butterfly species. Because of their versatility and popularity with many butterfly species, Milkweeds are a great selection when starting a butterfly garden. 

Different flowers bloom at different times of the year, and different butterflies are active at different times of the year. To have a healthy butterfly garden, you’ll want to provide a variety of plants, and especially different nectar sources. Selecting an assortment of plants for your yard will not only help to encourage butterflies in your community, but it will also help to preserve some of the natural habitat. 

Below you will find some of our favorite and most asked for butterfly-friendly plants.

Milkweed

Lantana (L) – Coreopsis (R)

Buddleia

Pentas (L) – Salvia (R)

Yarrow