Top Nectar Plants for Butterflies

[TheLorax]

Top Nectar Plants for Butterflies

These are mine, what are yours?

Echinacea (even the cultivars)
Dalea candida and D. purpurea
Liatris spicata
Diervilla lonicera
Sassafras albidum
Asclepias spp.
Vernonia gigantea and V. missurica
Solidago spp.
Clethra anlifolia
Allium cernuum and A. tricoccum
Lindera benzoin
Rosa palustris, R. blanda. R. setigera, and R. carolina
Lupinus perennis
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Phlox paniculata and P. maculata
Rudbeckia spp.
Monarda spp.
Asimina spp.
Salvia azurea
Mimulus ringens
Chelone spp.
Aristolochia tomentosa and A. serpentaria
Salix spp. (native willows)

We set out a tray of snap dragons on our patio every year and those seem to be well visited.

Would love to get my hands on Phlox glaberrima and P. divaricata for butterflies

[doccat5]

OMG!! I recognize some of the Latin names!! Dancing around, woohoo!!! I actually grow some of those, in my tiny perennial garden.....LOL

[TheLorax]

Wonderful! Positively wonderful! I can not wait to get our little cyber hands on that tiny little perennial garden of yours in hopes you become addicted to planting even more natives.

[doccat5]

Hmmmmmm, I gotta tiller and I know how to use it, so be careful....LOL We just won't mention this to DH just now.......ROFLMAO :eek:

[NEWisc]

These are the top butterfly choices in my garden:

Prairie Ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius; w/ a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Bee Balm - Monarda fistulosa; w/ a Great Spangled Fritillary
Meadow Blazing Star - Liatris ligulistylis; w/ a Monarch
Button Blazing Star - Liatris aspera; w/ a Leonard's Skipper
Joe Pye Weed - Eupatorium maculatum; w/ a Viceroy

[transplant]

Silene virginica is a big draw around here for the butterflies, not to mention the hummers - who will continue to work away on its flowers as I walk right by the plant. Phox divaricata is also loved; and Lorax, you can get it at Lazy S's, maybe Bluestone as well. Have quite a few of the other plants listed here, and they're also well received here.

[doccat5]

I have a small growth of Kniphofia uvaria that I got from a web friend which is doing quite well and draws them in. Creating an area for a butterfly/hummer garden is high on the to do list for this year.

[TheLorax]

Your pictures are beautiful, NEWisc.

Thanks transplant, I will most certainly check them out. I have wanted a few of those for a while. I think I would like to start with three.

I had to look up the Kniphofia uvaria. That is a Torch Lily, am I correct?

[JennyC]

Originally Posted by doccat5

OMG!! I recognize some of the Latin names!! Dancing around, woohoo!!!

Me, too! Must be something going around.

Through no fault of my own (ie: still growing wild around here) I have:

Eupatorium maculatum
Sassafras albidum
Rosa carolina
Phlox sp. (dunno which specific name -- the long-stemmed one)

That I recognize, both Latin name and flower. Probably have others, too. We have tons of butterflies in the summer. Oh, there's a native passiflora that some of them love, too. They don't object to apple, peach, and wild strawberry flowers, either.

[Staff]

Echinacea - Coneflowers
Dalea candida and D. purpurea - Native Clovers
Liatris spicata - Gayfeather
Diervilla lonicera - Native Bush Honeysuckle
Sassafras albidum - Sassafras Tree
Asclepias spp. - Milkweed
Vernonia gigantea and V. missurica - Ironweed
Solidago spp. - Goldenrods
Clethra anlifolia - Summersweet
Allium cernuum and A. tricoccum - Nodding Wild Onion and Ramps
Lindera benzoin - Spicebush
Rosa palustris, R. blanda. R. setigera, and R. carolina - Native roses
Lupinus perennis - Wild Lupine
Cephalanthus occidentalis - Buttonbush
Phlox paniculata and P. maculata - Wild Phlox
Rudbeckia spp. - Black-eyed and Brown-eyed Susans
Monarda spp. - Bergamot or Bee Balm
Asimina spp. - Pawpaw Tree
Salvia azurea - Azure Blue Sage
Mimulus ringens - Monkeyflower
Chelone spp. - Turtlehead
Aristolochia tomentosa and A. serpentaria - Dutchman's Pipe
Salix spp. - native willows