4
Butterfly Gardening
While many people plant pretty flowers that are attractive to
adult butterflies because of their nectar, if you want lots of
butterflies you must also provide host plants for the
caterpillars. Often individual species will only be attracted to
one type of plant, and will look for the garden that provides it. It
is also important not to use poisons, such as insecticides,
since these may kill the butterflies in their larval stage.
Some types of butterflies and their favorite host plants are
listed below.
NAME
HOSTS
NECTAR
Monarch
Milkweed family
Milkweed
Butterfly Weed
Spreading Dogbane
Painted lady
Thistle
Aphid Honeydew
Sunflower
Burdock
Tiger swallowtail
Wild Cherry
Thistle
Birch
Milkweed
Poplar
Honeysuckle
Ash
Bee-Balm
Black swallowtail
Queen Anne’s Lace Milkweed
Aniseroot
Thistle
Wild Parsnip
Phlox
Caraway
Water-Hemlock
Yellow Pimpernel
Golden Alexanders
Fritillary
Violet
Black-eyed Susan
You can find many more examples in butterfly field guides or
other WindStar Wildlife Institute literature.
Just as butterflies have plant preferences, so does other
wildlife. Once you decide which species you want to attract, you
can provide the appropriate habitat. When buying plants, avoid
nurseries that sell stock collected in the wild. Remember that
native plants will often perform the best in your landscape
because they have developed natural defenses against many
insects and diseases, are generally low maintenance, are
acclimated to your area, and appeal to local wildlife.
This article was written by
Thomas D. Patrick, President,
WindStar Wildlife Institute. It
was edited by Maryland Master
Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
Cathy Gilleland.
For more information or for the
name of a Master Wildlife
Habitat Naturalist in your area,
please contact:
WindStar Wildlife Institute
10072 Vista Court
Myersville, Maryland 21773
Phone: 301-293-3351
E-mail: wildlife@windstar.org
http://www.windstar.org
WindStar Wildlife Institute is a
national, non-profit,
conservation organization whose
mission is to help individuals and
families establish or improve the
wildlife habitat on their
properties.
