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
Height
Uses
Resistances
Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
Asclepias incarnata – Swamp Milkweed
Missouri and Illinois native with clouds of pink blossoms.
Mertensia virginica – Virginia Bluebell
One of the first Missouri native perennials to bloom in early spring.
Salvia – Color Spires Crystal Blue Sage
Crystal blue flowers unlike any other.
Syringa Scentara Double Blue, Lilac
Extremely fragrant and showy flowers, intense fragrance.
Viburnum Steady Eddy – Doublefile Viburnum
Blooms for months on end!
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 arborea Downy Serviceberry
Colorful year round with flowers, berries, foliage and bark.
Amelanchier laevis, Allegheny Serviceberry
Native plant with showy multi-seasonal interest.
Amsonia illustris – Shining Blue Star
Popular, easy-to-grow Missouri native perennial.
Amsonia tabermontana – Willowleaf Blue Star
Top award-winning native with starry blue flowers.
Aquilegia canadensis – Columbine
Charming, dangling blossoms of red and yellow.
Aronia melanocarpa – Chokeberry
Showy Missouri native shrub. Tolerates wet soils.
Asimina – Shenandoah Peterson Pawpaw Tree
Abundant tasty fruit can be up to one pound in weight.
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 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.
Astilbe – Fanal False Spirea
Long-time favorite red shade perennial.
Astilbe – Go Go Red Reblooming False Spirea
First Reblooming Red Astilbe! Long-lived Shade perennial.
Astilbe – Mighty Chocolate Cherry False Spirea
Large dramatic red plumes soar to 45" tall.
Astilbe – Mighty Pip False Spirea
Excellent performer, staff favorite, highly recommended.
Baptisia australis – Blue Indigo
A Missouri native adored for its indigo blossoms.
Betula – Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch – Little King Dwarf River Birch Tree
Extremely showy peeling bark.
Betula – Heritage River Birch Tree
Perfect shade tree for a patio.
Calamintha – Calamint
2021 Perennial Plant Association Perennial Plant Of the Year. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Of Merit. Sun-loving perennial.
Callirhoe bushii – Bush’s Poppy Mallow
Missouri native perennial with brilliant blossoms.
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.
Carya illinonensis, Pecan Tree
Large Missouri and Illinois native tree that produces delicious edible nuts.
Caryopteris – Beyond Midnight Bluebeard
Popular variety.
Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey Tea
Fragrant flowers on small native shrub, butterflies and more adore it.
Cercis – Forest Pansy Redbud
Glossy purple heart shaped leaves and vibrant flowers.
Cercis – Pink Pom Poms Redbud Tree
Fascinating flowers on mini tree.
Cercis – Ruby Falls Redbud
Weeping dwarf with elegant purple heart-shaped leaves and vibrant flowers.
Cercis canadensis – Eastern Redbud
Showy flowers on this easy native tree.
Chasmanthium latifolium – Northern Sea Oats
Bring beautiful form to your shade garden.
Chelone glabra -Turtle Head
Illinois and Missouri native moisture-loving perennial.
Chelone obliqua – Turtle Head
Popular native Missouri perennial with turtle head shaped flowers.
Chionanthus virginicus – Fringe Tree
Missouri native tree with elaborate blooms.
Clethra Ruby Spice – Summersweet
Award-winning fragrant pink flowers.
Convallaria majalis – Lily Of The Valley
A favorite shade loving ground cover.
Coreopsis – Uptick Red Tickseed
Far superior than older varieties, nonstop blooms, hardy perennial.
Coreopsis lanceolata – Lance Leaf Coreopsis
Named 2021 Missouri Native Plant Of The Year for its outstanding qualities.
Cornus – Garden Glow Red Twig Dogwood
Fantastic year-round color.
Cornus alternifolia Pagoda Dogwood
Popular Missouri native tree.
Cornus florida – Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree
Brilliant crimson flowers completely cover the tree.
Cornus florida – Cherokee Princess Dogwood Tree
An elegant and refined beauty.
Cornus florida – White Flowering Dogwood Tree
Popular Missouri native tree.
Cornus florida f. rubra Pink Flowering Dogwood Tree
Popular Missouri native tree.
Echinacea pallida – Pale Purple Coneflower
Missouri Botanical Gardens Plant of Merit Winner.
Echinacea paradoxa – Ozark Coneflower
A rare Missouri native perennial.
Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower
Gorgeous Missouri native perennial for natural and formal settings.
Eryngium yuccifolium – Rattlesnake Master
Tough and unique Missouri and Illinois native for hot, dry areas.
Geranium – Rozanne Hardy Geranium
Winner of multiple top awards.
Geranium maculatum – Hardy Geranium
Long-lived Missouri native shade perennial Geranium.
Helleborus – Maid of Honor Lenten Rose
Spectacular shade perennial.
Heuchera Fire Alarm Coral Bell
The best red leafed Coral Bell.
Hibiscus lasiocarpus – Rose Mallow
Big showy plant with huge flowers.
Hydrangea – Bobo Panicle Hydrangea
Award-winning tiny shrub with huge white flowers.
Hydrangea – Limelight Prime Panicle Hydrangea
Smaller improved version of the beloved Limelight Hydrangea.
Hydrangea ¡Arriba! – Reblooming Hydrangea
One of the most prolific flowering Hydrangeas to date.
Hydrangea paniculata – Little Quick Fire Panicle Hydrangea
Blooms earlier than other Panicle Hydrangeas.
Hydrangea Pop Star
An abundance of flowers on a delightful compact shrub.
Hydrangea Quick Fire Fab Panicle Hydrangea
Magnificent color-changing flowers last for months and months.
Hydrangea Sky View – Reblooming Hydrangea
Reliable flowers every year that easily turn blue.
Itea – Henry’s Garnet Sweetspire
Beautiful scented flowers on a rugged, adaptable shrub.
Itea virginica, Virginia Sweetspire
This small Missouri and Illinois native shrubs grows anywhere, sun, shade, wet, dry.
Leucanthemum – Becky Shasta Daisy
Top award winner.
Liatris pycnostachya – Prairie Blazing Star
A favorite of humans and other critters.
Liriodendron tulipifera – Tulip Tree
Stately native tree.
Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower
Choice Missouri and Illinois native perennial with brilliant cardinal red blossoms.
Lobelia siphilitica – Blue Cardinal Flower
Majestic Missouri native perennial.
Lonicera Major Wheeler Trumpet Honeysuckle
Hummingbirds find it from miles around.
Magnolia virginiana – Glauca Sweet Bay Magnolia
Grows a little smaller than the species Magnolia virginiana.
Malus – Royal Raindrops Crabapple Tree
Award-winning, easy-care tree with multi-seasonal interest.
Monarda bradburiana – Bee Balm
Important Missouri native pollinator plant.
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
An important Missouri and Illinois native pollinator food source.
Monarda Jacob Cline Bee Balm
Hummingbirds adore its ruby red blossoms, long-time favorite sun perennial.
Nepeta – Cat’s Pajamas Catmint
A purr-fect perennial it brings loads of dark indigo blue flowers.
Nepeta – Walker’s Low, Catmint
Major award winner.
Nyssa sylvatica – Black Gum
Missouri native tree with brilliant fall color.
Opuntia humifusa – Prickly Pear Cactus
Missouri and Illinois native perennial cactus.
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FILTER THE ITEMS ON THIS PAGE BY:
Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
Bloom Color
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Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
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