Butterfly Gardens

Butterfly gardens need sun loving host plants and nectar pollinator plants.

Butterfly & Host Plants

Monarch – Milkweed - Tropical & Butterfly Weed

Diana Fritillary – (State Butterfly) Violets

Black Swallowtail – Parsley, Dill, Fennel, Queen Ann’s Lace

Pipevine Swallowtail – Dutchman’s Pipe, Virginia snakeroot

Spicebush Swallowtail – Spicebush, Sassafras

Tiger Swallowtail – Tulip Poplar, Basswood, Birches, Willows

Zebra Swallowtail – Paw Paw

Silvery Checkerspot – Black-eyed Susan, Sunflowers

Common Buckeye – Snapdragon, False Foxglove, Gerardia

Painted Lady – Thistle, Asters, Hollyhock, Lupine

Spring Azure – Dogwood, Viburnum, Black Cherry

Nectar Plants

Aster (Aster spp.)

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.)

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea)

Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.)

Cosmos (Cosmos spp.)

Dianthus Family (Dianthus spp.)

Lantana (Lantana camara)

Marigold (Tagetes spp.)

Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia)

Salvia (Salvia spp.)

Phlox(Paniculata)

Petunia (Petunia x hybrida)

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum spp.)

Sunflower (Helianthus spp.)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Swamp Verbena (Verbena hastata)

Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)

Thistle (Cirsium discolor)

Violet (Viola spp. )

Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum)

Yarrow (Achillea spp.)

Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Resources for plant and butterfly information:

  • Missouri Wildflower Nursery in Jefferson City, Missouri is a wonderful source for native plants for our area and they rate the plants between one and four stars bases on how attractive they would be in front garden. Get a catelog at: https://easywildflowers.com/

  • Arkansas Butterflies and Moths by Lori A. Spencer