| Butterflies are fascinating to watch and relatively easy to attract to your yard. Plant your butterfly garden in a sunny spot and be sure not to use pesticides. In order to maximize the number of butterflies coming to your garden, you should provide plants for both the winged adults and the less well known larval form, the caterpillars. Additional features that butterflies will appreciate include flat rocks for basking and a damp mud puddle or area of moist sand (many butterflies seek moisture and minerals from such areas). Certain species may be attracted best by putting out an occasional piece of overripe fruit. |  |
| Below is our Top Ten list of some of the most common and easy-to-attract butterflies for North Carolina. Each is shown along with the host plant(s) most preferred by their caterpillars. Although many host plants can be purchased from a nursery, others are best grown from seed or should be protected if found growing near your garden. |
| Top Ten Butterflies | Host Plants |
| American Lady | Everlasting, Pussytoes, Cudweeds (all are plants common to grassy areas and disturbed sites) |
| Black Swallowtail | Parsley family (Bronze Fennel, Dill, Parsley, Carrots, Queen Anne's Lace) |
| Buckeye | Plantain, Snapdragons, Purple Gerardia |
| Cloudless Sulphur | Wild Senna(Cassia sp.) |
| Monarch | Milkweed family; especially Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Swamp Milkweed Asclepias Incarnata) |
| Pearl Crescent | Aster species |
| Red-spotted Purple | Wild Cherry*,
Willow* |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | Wild Cherry*, Willow* |
| Spicebush Swallowtail | Sassafras*, Spicebush |
| Tiger Swallowtail | Wild Cherry*, Tulip Poplar* |
| *Trees in butterfly gardens are best kept closely cropped, both to keep them from shading out the flowers and to make it easier to find caterpillars on them! | |
| Below is our list of the Top Ten easy-to-grow,
sun-loving plants recommended as excellent general nectar
sources for adult butterflies in our area (consult local
nurseries for availability); Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta and other Rudbeckia species) Butterfly Bush (Buddleia sp.); not native Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis) Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) Milkweeds (especially Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata) Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum valgare; formerly Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) Purple Coneflower (Echinaecea purpurea) Verbena (Verbena hastata and various other species) Note: Most of these plant recommendations are species native to North Carolina. We encourage the use of native plants in your landscape for several reasons: Local wildlife is generally better adapted to using native plants so efforts to attract wildlife may prove more successful. Teaching children about local plants helps give them a sense of ownership to their local environment. Once they begin to know and appreciate wildflowers and native trees and shrubs, they are more likely to care about preserving them. Native plants are adapted to local conditions and generally require less maintenance. They are also more likely to be resistant to local pest populations. Native plants provide teachers with a wealth of teaching tools from natural history information to folklore and cultural uses (edible and medicinal properties, etc.). It is also generally easier to locate resource information about native species. The planting of native species is ecologically important and serves as a model of habitat conservation for students. |
| H. Zin and R. Mitchell, 1987. Golden
Guide to Butterflies & Moths Golden Press, NY Wright, A., 1993. Peterson's First Guide to Caterpillars. Houghton-Mifflin, NY Stokes, D. L., and E. Williams, 1991. The Butterfly Book. Little, Brown & Co., Boston Niering, W. and N. Olmstead, 1995. Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Alfred A. Knopf, NY Peterson, R. T. and M. McKinny, 1968. Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and Northcentral North America. Houghton-Mifflin, NY |
| Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)F | Clouded sulphur, alfalfa sulphur, eastern tailed blue |
| Aspen, cottonwood (Populus spp.) | White admiral, red-spotted purple, western admiral, Lorquin's admiral, viceroy, morning cloak, tiger swallowtail, western tiger swallowtail |
| Aster (Aster spp.)F | Pearl crescent | Bean (Phaseolus spp.)V | Long-tailed skipper |
| Birch (Betula spp.)T | Morning cloak, white admiral |
| Blueberry Vaccinium spp.) S | Brown elfin |
| Cabbage, broccoli (Brassica spp.) V | Cabbage white, checkered white |
| Cherry (Prunus spp.)T, S | Red-spotted purple, tiger swallowtail, spring azure |
| Citrus trees (Citrus spp.)T | Anise swallowtaill, giant swallowtail |
| Clover (Trifolium spp.) | Clouded sulphur, alfalfa sulphur, eastern tailed blue |
| Dogwood (Cornus spp.)T,S | Spring azure |
| Elm (Ullmus spp.) | Gray comma, question mark, morning cloak |
| Everlasting (Gnaphalium spp.)F | American painted lady |
| False indigo (Amorpha spp.)S | Dog face, silver-spotted skipper |
| False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)F | Red admiral, question mark, gray comma, milbert's tortoiseshell |
| Grasses, sedges (various genera) | Common wood nymph, little wood satyr, eyed brown, ringlet, fiery skipper, European skipper |
| Hackberry (Celtis spp.)T | Question mark, gray comma, Hackberry butterfly, lawny emperor, snout butterfly, morning cloak |
| Hops (Humulus lupulus)F | Question mark, comma |
| Knotweed (Polygonum spp.)F | Purplish copper |
| Locust (Robinia spp.)T, S | Silver-spotted skipper |
| Lupine (Lupinus spp.)F | Silvery blue, other blues |
| Mallow (Malva spp.)F | West Coast lady, gray hairstreak |
| Marigold (Tageles spp.) | Dainty sulphur |
| Meadowsweet (Spiraea spp.)S | Spring azure |
| Milk velch (Astragalus spp.)F | Western tailed blue, other blues |
| Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)F | Monarch, queen |
| Nettle (Urtica spp.)F | Red admiral, question mark, gray comma, milbert's tortoiseshell |
| Oak (Quercus spp.)T,S | Sister, Banded hairstreak |
| Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)V | Black swallowtail, anise swallowtail |
| Passionflower (Passiflora spp.)F | Gulf fritillary, zebra |
| Pawpaw (Asimina spp.)T | Zebra swallowtail |
| Pipevine (Aristolochia spp.)F | Pipevine swallowtail |
| Plantain (Plantago spp.)F | Buckeye, baltimore |
| Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota)F | Black swallowtail, anise swallowtail |
| Senna (Cassia spp.)F | Cloudless sulphur |
| Snapdragon (Antirrhinum spp.)F | Buckeye |
| Sneezeweed (Helenium spp.)F | Dainty sulphur |
| Sorrel, dock (Rumex spp.)F | American copper, purplish copper |
| Spicebush, sassafras (Lindera spp.)S | Spicebush swallowtail, tiger swallowtail |
| Stonecrop (Sedum spp.)F | Phoebus parnassian |
| Sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)F | Anise swallowtail, black swallowtail |
| Thistle (Cirsium spp.)F | Painted lady |
| Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)T | Tiger swallowtail |
| Turtlehead (Chelone spp.)F | Baltimore, buckeye |
| Vitch (Vicia spp.)F | Alfalfa sulphur, eastern tailed blue, western tailed blue, other blues |
| Violet (Viola spp.)F | Great spangled fritillary, meadow fritillary, other fritillaries |
| Willow (Salix spp.)T,S | Western admiral, Lorquin's admiral, viceroy, morning cloak, western tiger swallowtail |
| Winter cress (Barbarea spp.)F | Sara orange tip, falcate orange tip, cabbage white |
| T=tree, S=shrub, F-flower, V=vegetable | |
| Common Name (Scientific Name) | Zone | Height | Color |
| WILDFLOWERS | |||
| Early | |||
| Clover (Trilolium spp.) | 3 | 4-8 in. | pink, white |
| Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) | 3 | 6-8 in. | yellow |
| Hawkweed (Hieracium spp.) | 3 | 6-12 in. | yellow, orange |
| Winter cress (Barbarea spp.) | 3 | 1-1 1/2 ft. | yellow |
| Midseason | |||
| Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) | 3 | 1-2 ft. | orange |
| Daisy, Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) | 3 | 1-2 ft. | white |
| Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemilolium) | 3 | 1-2 ft. | pink |
| Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) | 3 | 3 ft. | pink |
| Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.) | 2 | 1-2 1/2 ft. | white |
| Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margarilacea) | 3 | 1-3 ft. | white |
| Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carola) | 3 | 3-3 1/2 ft. | white |
| Thistle (Crisium spp.) | 3 | 3-4 ft. | purple |
| Vetch (Vicia spp.) | 3 | 6 ft. | purple |
| Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) | 3 | 3-4 ft. | lavender |
| Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) | 2 | 2 ft. | white |
| Late | |||
| Aster (Aster spp., especially A novae- angliae) | 3 | 4 ft. | purple- blue |
| Beggar ticks (Bidens anstosa) | 4 | 1- 3 ft. | yellow |
| Boneset (Eupatorium perioliatum) | 3 | 4-5 ft. | white |
| Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) | 3 | 3 ft. | yellow |
| Ironweed (Vernonia spp.) | 4 | 3-7 ft. | purple |
| Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium spp.) | 2 | 5-9 ft. | pinkish purple |
| SHRUBS | |||
| Early | |||
| Lilac (Syrina vulgaris) | 3 | 20 ft. | purple, pink, white |
| Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) | 4 | to 18 ft. | pink, purple, white |
| Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) | 4 | 15 ft. | yellow |
| Midseason | |||
| Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidi, B. altemifolia) | 5 | 6-15 ft. | purple |
| Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) | 4 | 15 ft. | white |
| Flame-of-the-woods (lxora coccinea) | 10 | 15 ft. | red and yellow |
| Honeysuckle shrub (Lonicera latarica) | 3 | 9 ft. | pale pink |
| New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) | 4 | 3 ft. | white |
| Privet: Amur privet Ligustrum amurense) in North | 3 | 15 ft. | white |
| California privet (L ovalifolium) in Calif. | 6 | 15 ft. | white |
| Japanese privet (L japonicum) in South | 7 | 6-18 ft. | white |
| Sweet pepperbush, summer sweet (Clethra alnifolia) | 3 | 4-6 ft. | white |
| Late | |||
| Bluebeard (Caryopteris X clandonensis) | 5 | 2-4 ft. | blue |
| Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) | 5 | 5 ft. | pink |
| Sweet pepperbush (Clethra arborea) | 9 | 25 ft. | white |
| TREES | |||
| Buckeye (Aesculus spp.) | 3 | 75 ft. | white, greenish yellow, pink |
| Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata) | 4 | 30 ft. | white |
| Plum cherry (Prunus spp.) | 3 | 20-30 ft. | pink |
| Willow (Salix spp.) | 2 | 10-45 ft. | greenish yellow |
| VINES | |||
| Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) | 4 | vine | white |
| Common Name (Scientific Name) | Zone | Height | Color |
| ANNUALS | |||
| Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) | 6-8 in. | purple | |
| Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), 'Sensation' | 3 ft. | pink, whites | |
| Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) | 1 ft. | purple | |
| Lantana (Lantana camara) | 1- 3 ft. | red, yellow, blue | |
| Lunaria, honesty (Lunaria annua)--sometimes biennial | 2-3 ft. | purple, white | |
| Marigold, French marigold (Tageles patula) | 1 ft. | yellow, orange | |
| Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) | 3-5 ft. | yellow, orange | |
| Nicotiana, flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alala) | 2 ft. | pinks, whites | |
| Pentas (Pentas lanceolala)-- Subshrub | 1 1/2 ft. | purple, rose, white | |
| Petunia (Petunia X hybrida) | 1 ft. | pink, white, blue | |
| Scabiosa, pincushion flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea) | 1 1/2 ft. | blue | |
| Statice (Limonium sinuatum) | 1-1 1/2 ft. | purple, blue | |
| Verbena (Verbena X hortensis, v. x hybrida) | 1 ft. | rose, pink | |
| Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) | 1-2 ft. | pinks, yellows, rose | |
| PERENNIALS | |||
| Early | |||
| Allium (Allium spp.)--bulb | 3 | 2-4 ft. | purple |
| Arabis (Arabis albida) | 4 | 6 in. | white |
| Aubrieta, purple rock cress (Aubrieta deltoidea) | 4 | 3-6 in. | purple |
| Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) | 2 | 2 ft. | purple |
| Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis) | 3 | 2-3 1/2 ft. | purple, sometimes pink, white |
| Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica)--biennial, perennial | 3 | 9-24 in. | blue |
| Midseason | |||
| Bee balm (Manarda didyma) | 4 | 3 ft. | pink, red |
| Black-eyed Susan, gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia spp.)- -Biennial, perennial | 3 | 3 ft. | yellow |
| Butterfly weed (Asclelpias tuberosa) | 3 | 2-3 ft. | orange |
| Catmint (Nepeta mussinii) | 4 | 1 ft. | blue-purple |
| Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.) | 3 | 2 ft. | yellow |
| Daisy, shasta (Chrysanthemum maximum, C. X sperbum) | 4 | 2-3 ft. | white |
| Daylily (Hermerocallis spp.) | 2 | 2-3 ft. | yellow, orange, peach, pink |
| Erigeron, lleabane (Erigeron speciosus) | 2 | 1-3 ft. | lavender- blue |
| Gaillardia, blanket flower (Gallardia X grandiflora) | 2 | 1-3 ft. | yellow and red |
| Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) | 5 | 1-3 ft. | purple |
| Liatris, blazing-star, gay-feather (Liatris spp.) | 2 | 2-4 ft. | mauve |
| Lily (lilium spp.) | 3 | 2-5 ft. | yellow, pink, white, red |
| Loosetrite (Lythrum virgatum), 'Morden's Gleam' | 3 | 3-4 ft. | pink |
| Mint (Mentha spp.) | 3 | 1-4 ft. | purple, white |
| Phlox (Phlox spp.) | 4 | 3 ft. | pink, white, rose, blue, mauve |
| Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | 3 | 2-3 ft. | pink, white |
| Red valerian (Cenlranthus ruber) | 4 | 2-3 ft. | deep rose |
| Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis)-- subshrub | 6 | 2-6 ft. | violet-blue |
| Sunflower (Helianthus spp.) | 3 | 3-5 ft. | yellow |
| Veronica (Veronica spp.) | 5 | 6-18 in. | blue, pink |
| Yarrow (Achillea Filipendulina), 'Coronation Gold' | 2 | 2-3 ft. | yellow |
| Late | |||
| Aster, Michaelmas daisy (Aster spp.) | 2 | 3-5 ft. | purple, ruby, pink, blue |
| Globe thistle (Echinops exallatus) | 3 | 2-4 ft. | purple |
| Physostegia, obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) | 2 | 2 1/2-4 ft. | pink |
| Sedum, showy sedum (Sedum spectabile vulgaris) | 3 | 1-1 1/2 ft. | pink |
| Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) | 3 | 4-6 ft. | yellow, orange |
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This page entered by Cumberland County Master
Gardeners on 7/15/98 thanks to the efforts of the North Carolina
State Museum of Natural Sciences.
Last revised on 12/31/98