Butterfly Gardens need several things to be successful:  Food plants for young to feed on, nectar plants for adult feeding, water, wet mud and/or overripe fruit to supply minerals. Such an area should be sunny and sheltered from strong winds.  If you desire certain species of butterfly to visit your garden, you can encourage this by planting food plants for their young.  Below is a small list for specific butterflies.



Food plants for young of specific varieties:         Butterflies:
Carrot Family: parsley, parsnip, celery, Queen Ann’s Lace, Dill, Fennel………..Black Swallowtail
Poplar Trees ………………………………..............................................…..Viceroy
Spicebush………………………………………..............................................Spicebush Swallowtail
Wild Cherry……………………………………...............................................Red Spotted Purple, Tiger Swallowtail
Tulip Poplar and Pawpaw……………………...................................................Tiger Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail (pawpaw only)
Willow……………………………………..............................…….................Mourning Cloak, Viceroy, Question Mark, & Tiger Swallowtail.
Mustard family: Mustards, Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, etc. …………...................Orange Tips, Cabbage Yellow. Checkered Whites
Legumes: Clovers, Wild Senna,Wild Indigo, Alfalfa, Lupine, Marigolds…………Harvesters, Orange Sulphers, Clouded Sulphers
Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Oxypetalum,…….............................................……Monarchs
Passion Flower Vine…………………………...................................................Gulf Fritillarias
Violets…………………………………………................................................Fritillarias
Asters………………………………………….................................................Field Crescent
Plantain………………………………………...................................................Buckeye
Thistle, Globe Thistle, Hollyhock………….........................................................Painted Lady
Nettles…………………………………................................................... ……Red Admiral
Burdock…………………………………….................................................….American Painted Lady
Sheep Sorrel……………………………….................................................…..American Copper
Hops……………………………………................................................……..Question Mark
Ash…………………………………….................................................………Tiger Swallowtail


Necter Plants:
(This list is not all-inclusive but contains many of the most desirable plants)
Alfalfa, Armeria, Aster, Buddleia (Butterfly Bush), Butterfly Weed, Catnip/Catmint, Centranthus, Chives, Clover, Coneflower, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Dianthus, Daisies, Gaillardia, Globe Thistle, Hyssop, Joe-pye Weed, Lantana, Lavender, Liatris, Lunaria, Marigold, Milkweed, Mints, Monarda, Nastertiums,
Petunias, Pentas, Phlox, Queen Ann’s Lace, Rudbeckia, Rosemary, Salvias, Scabiosa, Sedums, Statice, Sunflower, Swamp Milkweed, Thyme, Verbenas, Yarrows (Achillea), Zinnias.

MUD, FRUIT AND WATER:
Butterflies can often be seen gathered at mud puddles or damp areas of earth. They  are busy collecting minerals that they need from the soil. Such a place will lure many varieties and provide a close-up look at relatively quiet specimens. This is also true with very ripe or sliced open fruit, only in this case they are actually taking food.  The fruit can also be a lure for other insects of interest. A birdbath or other quiet water source is also desirable in making a butterfly haven. USE AS FEW INSECTICIDES AS POSSIBLE . THEY ARE KILLERS OF ADULTS AND YOUNG.

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