Butterfly Attracting Plants
One of the great joys of having a garden is watching butterflies. On a sunny June or July morning, when the garden is at its peak, butterflies flit from flower to flower in search of nectar and a sunny spot to rest. With this guide, you can select the perfect plants for your dream butterfly garden.
By choosing the right plants and following a few simple guidelines, you can lure many different species to your butterfly garden. Pay extra attention to plant selection, and you can support a full butterfly lifecycle. While flowers produce nectar, specific host plants are needed so butterflies can lay eggs and feed caterpillars when they emerge. See host plants here.
Butterflies begin laying their eggs in late spring and hatch 3-6 days after they are laid. It takes 3-4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate and 9-14 days to emerge as an adult.
Below, you will find fantastic butterfly-attracting plants.
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Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
Bloom Color
Bloom Time
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Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
Syringa Beauty of Moscow, Lilac
Highly fragrant double flowers.
Mertensia virginica – Virginia Bluebell
One of the first Missouri native perennials to bloom in early spring.
Achillea – Moonshine Yarrow
Long time favorite with silvery foliage, sun loving perennial.
Achillea millefolium – Yarrow
Ideal native plant for hot sunny spots.
Aesculus Pavia, Red Buckeye
2023 Tree of the Year. Award-winning Missouri Native.
Allium – Millenium Ornamental Onion
2018 Perennial Plant of the Year.
Amelanchier – Autumn Brilliance Apple Serviceberry
Award-winning small tree with multi-season interest.
Amelanchier laevis, Allegheny Serviceberry
Native plant with showy multi-seasonal interest.
Aquilegia canadensis – Columbine
Charming, dangling blossoms of red and yellow.
Aronia melanocarpa – Chokeberry
Showy Missouri native shrub. Tolerates wet soils.
Asimina Prolific Pawpaw Tree
Abundant plump fruit.
Asimina triloba – Pawpaw Tree
2022 Tree Of the Year, Missouri's Official State Fruit Tree
Aster divaricatus – White Wood Aster
A butterfly favorite and Missouri native.
Aster novae angeliae – New England Aster
A butterfly favorite and Missouri and Illinois native.
Aster oblongifolium – Aromatic Aster
Important Missouri native pollinator plant.
Aster oolentagiensis – Sky Blue Aster
A top favorite of gardeners and critters.
Astilbe – Dark Side of the Moon False Spirea
Dramatic chocolate burgundy foliage, deep purple flowers, shade perennial.
Betula – Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch – Little King Dwarf River Birch Tree
Extremely showy peeling bark.
Calamintha – Calamint
2021 Perennial Plant Association Perennial Plant Of the Year. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Of Merit. Sun-loving perennial.
Callirhoe involucrata – Purple Poppy Mallow
2019 Native of the Year. Long-blooming native Illinois and Missouri ground cover.
Carex albicans – White-Tinged Sedge
Pretty Missouri native Sedge.
Carex grayi – Gray Sedge
Fun and funky Missouri native sedge.
Carex muskingumensis – Palm Sedge
Popular Missouri native sedge.
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FILTER THE ITEMS ON THIS PAGE BY:
Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
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Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
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