This native self-seeding plant pops up in my lawn every spring. When purchasing your new garden additions, consider adding nectar plants, too, which will provide energy for adult butterflies. The Xerces Society is a great place to start, as well. A search for local websites and conservation societies will help reveal which butterflies are native to your area. There are a number of trees, shrubs, and native grasses that are also host plants for a plethora of butterflies and moths. When looking for host plants, look beyond the perennial flower section of your local nursery or garden center.
Each butterfly species sticks to their host plant or plants, though some have adapted because of plant scarcity. For example, and probably the most commonly known, a female monarch butterfly will look for milkweed plants. She uses scent and sight to seek them out. She is very specific about finding the host plant or one of a range of host plants that will nourish her young. Adding butterfly host plants to your gardenĪ butterfly doesn’t deposit her eggs on just any old plant.
Some of the included plants may differ from those who live in other parts of Canada and the United States. It’s important to note I live in Southern Ontario, Canada. In this article, I’m going to share some butterfly host plants for common North American butterflies. Nettle is also a host plant for red admiral ( Vanessa atalanta) and West Coast lady ( Vanessa annabella) butterflies. While it may not be something you want to plant where people might come into contact, stinging nettle is the larval host plant of the Milbert’s tortoiseshell butterfly ( Nymphalis milberti), pictured here on a butterfly bush. You will often find them underneath a leaf or along a plant stem. A female butterfly will lay her eggs in clusters or as single eggs, depending on the species. They’re important because those plants are what a new caterpillar will start to eat after it has hatched-and after it has consumed its egg shell. Host plants are the plants where butterflies and moths lay their eggs. Adding host plants will help to support the caterpillar stage. There are lots of articles about planting pollinator gardens to provide nectar to butterflies and other insects. That’s where butterfly host plants come into the picture. And I’m mindful of trying to incorporate plants for a butterfly’s entire life cycle.
I feel so happy knowing my garden is a haven for butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. If I see a butterfly flitting about my yard, I’ll stop everything I’m doing to watch it.
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