There are many different types of flowers you can grow to attract butterflies to your yard.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies appreciate nectar-rich flowers, and I just happen to grow some of their favorites:
- Joe-Pye weed
- Purple coneflowers
- Black-eyed Susans (rudbeckia)
- Milkweed
- Zinnias
- Phlox
- Verbena
My neighbor told me that she has Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars feeding on her parsley plants. I’ve had good luck attracting them by growing dill.
Red Admiral butterflies like the same flowers for nectar sources, but in addition they’ll visit:
- Marigolds
- Lantana
- Bee Balm
- Asters
Cabbage butterflies are much less picky about their flower nectar choices. They like:
- Dandelions
- Clover
- Asters
- Zinnias
- Marigolds
- Nasturiums
- Blooming mint plants
- Blooming oregano
- Blooming lavender
I often see them sipping nectar from the anise hyssop plants (which are a member of the mint family). They are also usually the first butterfly I see each spring.
Farmers and vegetable gardeners aren’t happy to find their caterpillars, however. They eat cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and other vegetables and are considered an agricultural pest.
And then there’s the Monarch butterfly. The adults visit many of the same flowers as the other butterflies, but their caterpillars can only feed on milkweed.
The adults like:
- Purple coneflower
- Bee Balm
- Milkweed
- Joe-Pye Weed
- Liatris (blazing star)
- Black-eyed Susan
- Zinnias
Because these butterflies are long-distance migrants, you can help them by nurturing your zinnias until late fall and also growing late-season blooming plants like:
- Asters
- New England Asters
- Goldenrod
- Sedums (like ‘Neon’ and ‘Autumn Joy’)