Butterfly Garden
Looking to start a butterfly garden?
We have a list of the top 15 plants we carry that will help bring butterflies to your garden!
There are two groups to classify butterfly plants.
Host Plants & Nectar Plants
Host Plants - attract female butterflies who lay their eggs on the plant.
Nectar Plants - provide food and nutrients needed for butterflies, moths, and other wildlife to sustain life.
1. Butterfly Bush / Buddleia
Butterfly bush is a nectar plant that is great for full sun and blooms on and off throughout the year.
Buddleia attracts :
Black Swallowtail, Giant Swallowtail, Monarch, Painted Lady,
Pipevine Swallowtail, Queen, Question Mark, Red Admiral,
Red-spotted Purple, Zebra Longwing, Zebra Swallowtail,
Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger,
Swallowtail, Variegated Fritillary,Eastern Comma, Gulf Fritillary,
Mourning Cloak, Anise Swallowtail
2. Bottle Brush Tree
The Bottle Brush Tree is a nectar plant that attracts various butterflies, honeybees and hummingbirds. If you are looking for a tree that will grow about 15 feet, attract a copious amount of wildlife, and blooms frequently then the bottle brush tree is the perfect choice.
3. Dianthus
Dianthus is a low growing, sun loving nectar plant that attracts:
The Giant Swallowtail and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
4. Lantana
Lantana is a nectar plant that comes in a variety of colors from red, to yellow, to a mixture of hot pink and purple. Butterflies will love this plant due to its continuous blooms throughout the year.
Lantana attracts:
Cabbage White, Fiery Skipper, Great Swallowtail, Gray Hairstreak,
Hayhurst’s Scallopwing, Little Glassywing, Monarch, Red Admiral, Sachem, Silver-Spotted Skipper, Skipper, Spicebush Swallowtail, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Zebra Longwing
5. Jatropha
Jatropha is a nectar plant that butterflies will flock to because it literally blooms all year round.
This low maintenance, sun loving shrub / tree attracts :
Monarch Butterfly and the Zebra Heliconius Butterfly
6. Marigold
Marigold is a nectar plant with leaves that contain a unique fragrance.
Marigold attracts:
American Lady, Sleepy Orange, and Sachem
7. Stonecrop
Stonecrop is a low maintenance nectar plant with succulent like leaves. Stonecrop is great option if your looking for a drought tolerant plant to attract wildlife.
Stonecrop attracts:
American painted ladies, buckeyes, gray hairstreaks, monarchs, painted ladies, pearl crescents, pepper and salt skippers, silver-spotted skippers, and fritillaries.
8. Penta
Penta is a nectar plant that is considered to be an annual in most places, but here in Florida we are lucky enough to enjoy it as a perennial.
Pentas attract:
White Peacock Butterflies, Julia Butterflies
9. Phlox
Phlox is a nectar plant that is the perfect choice for your butterfly garden if you want something with showy flowers that stays low to the ground .
Phlox attracts:
Sachem, Silver-Spotted Skipper, Silvery Checkerspot , Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Zabulon
10. Plumbago
Plumbago is nectar plant that is a South Florida favorite because of its vivid blue flowers that love the sun and require very little maintenance.
Plumbago attracts:
Cassius Blue Butterflies, Soybean Looper Moth, Polydamas Swallowtail Butterfly, Monk Skipper Butterflies
11. Porterweed
