key point
- Butterflies are beautiful creatures that have been associated with myths and fairy tales for as long as people can remember.
- Watching them fly from flower to flower is fun, and many people start the trend of creating butterfly gardens just to attract them.
- Butterfly populations are declining due to habitat loss and global warming, and these gardens can make it possible for them to increase their numbers.
Butterflies are colorful, delicate and graceful creatures that add so much beauty to the world. It’s also exciting to watch them grow from one stage of life to the next, including the egg, larva, pupa, and winged adult stages. For these reasons, many people want to know what flowers attract butterflies so they can enjoy more of them in their yard or garden.
Besides their pretty colors, these winged insects play an important role in the environment. They work much like bees, pollinating plants and keeping our planet green. Unlike work-minded bees, they provide this vital service without their knowledge. Butterflies need only the tasty nectar to make up their diet, carrying pollen from one plant to another in the process. Butterflies travel farther than bees, carrying the pollen they upload over larger areas.
Like bees, butterflies are also in decline. They are losing habitat to urbanization and overuse of pesticides. However, 9 out of 10 plant species require the help of pollinators such as butterflies. This makes it more important than ever for humans to help pollinators by providing them with the resources they need. Meanwhile, we can watch the creatures’ lovely wings fly from flower to flower, showing us their fragile yet majestic beauty as they forage and collect pollen.
To answer the frequently asked question “what flowers attract butterflies”, we’ve listed below the top 10 plants that are most attractive to butterflies. While not all of these flowering plants will grow in all regions, you’re sure to find some great options here for your garden butterfly attractions.
#10: Milkweed
Milkweed is the only flower that emperor caterpillars use as a food source. It is also the favorite nectar provider of monarch butterflies, the most widely known type of butterfly in North America, and many other adult butterflies. Because it supports butterflies well from egg to adult, this plant is by no means a poor garden choice. Swamp milkweed produces lovely pink flowers. However, there are more than 100 species of milkweed to choose from in the garden, attracting monarchs and many other species of butterflies.
#9: Lavender
For a beautiful and delicate pop of color in your garden or potted on your sidewalk that is sure to attract many species of butterflies, grow lavender. These sweet-smelling perennial herbs are not just attractive to butterflies. The plant’s flowers also attract bees, hummingbirds, and other kinds of small birds. They can also be used to make tea, DIY bath products, sachets, potpourri, and many other uses in your home. Due to its Mediterranean origin, this plant is heat tolerant and grows well in hot regions.
#8: Heliotrope
Like lavender, heliotrope produces bright purple flowers that are sure to attract butterflies of all kinds. Butterflies can see color and know that the brightest flowers provide the sweetest nectar. Planting these plants in your garden or in a pot is sure to attract pretty insects. Also known as the “dwarf sea plant,” heliotrope grows in profusion of many small flowers and provides a lot of food for butterflies per square inch. The flowers are also known for their sweet cherry pie smell to humans.
#7: Blazing Star
These perennials feature cone-shaped purple, pink, or white flowers on erect stems a foot to three feet tall with tiny leaves. This means it doesn’t take up much space, but provides plenty of nectar for the butterfly’s diet. These flower stalks grow well along the fence and bloom from June to early fall. If you plant a blazing star, you can expect to see monarch butterflies and other butterfly species. But you can also expect to attract goldfinches and hummingbirds to more interesting winged activities.
#6: Black-Eyed Susan
The yellow flowers that attract pearl crescent butterflies are black-eyed Susans. This North American wildflower was one of the first flowering plants domesticated for garden and pot display. In addition to having a long history, black-eyed Susans are distinguished by their striking black centers, which provide space for butterflies to roost and feed for a few seconds before moving on to the next flower. These long-blooming flowers are hardy perennials that grow very fast and fill pots nicely.
#5: Potted Marigolds
Potted marigolds are perennials with bright yellow, orange, pink or cream flowers that attract monarch butterflies and other pretty species. At the same time, these flowers will repel pests in your garden, such as mosquitoes and cabbage bugs. The flowers are shaped like inverted bells or the “pots” from which they are named. This allows the flowers to hold dew well in the mornings and after rains, and to rehydrate with nectar, pretty color and water droplets that attract butterflies. That’s a lovely butterfly buffet! Even better, long-flowering pot marigolds bloom continuously from May through early fall.
#4: Blue Star
The perennial grows to three feet tall and bears blue star-shaped flowers that are sure to bring butterflies into your garden for a sweet nectar feast each spring. A favorite of zebra swallowtail butterflies, these flowers sit on lush, grass-like foliage perfect as a ground cover or in a bordered garden. These plants grow best in fertile, well-drained, partial shade soil. But with enough moisture, they can even grow in direct sunlight. The snowberry clearwing moth also likes this plant to lay eggs and provide food for their larvae.
#3: Lantana
As you may have guessed, butterflies love brightly colored flowers. One of their favorite colors is pink, like the everlasting pink of the large lantana blooms. But lantana is as colorful as any butterfly’s wing, with each plant showing a variety of shades. This shrubby annual blooms in clusters of flowers that can range from yellow and pink to deep red and purple. Even better, the colors are rich and varied from late spring to first frost.
Lantana is a true butterfly magnet, bringing many species such as:
- giant swallowtail
- monarch
- swallowtail swallowtail
- Queen
- erythematous purple
- Zebra Longwings
- Spice Swallowtail
- Julia Heliconian
- checkered white
- cloudless sulfur
- bay fritillary
- Great Southern White
#2: Cornflower
Pretty purple coneflower, also known as echinacea, is a late summer flowering plant that resembles a black-eyed Susan in structure. But instead of golden and black flowers, coneflowers offer plenty of pretty purple blooms with brown centers. This perennial grows low and easily fills a bordered garden. They work just as well as potted plants. Any butterfly has to love the reliability of this nectar supplier, as it grows well from Florida to Minnesota and even tolerates drought well. But it is especially loved by mother-of-pearls, monarchs, painted ladies and swallowtails.
#1: Butterfly Bush
Of course, no one would doubt Butterfly Cong’s ability to attract butterflies. This aptly named shrub is also known as summer lilac. It features long, cone-shaped flowers that remain vibrant and nectar-rich from summer to fall. While you can find this shrub in a variety of flower colors from white to deep purple, monarch butterflies and tiger swallowtails seem to prefer lavender to pink hues.
It’s important to note that this shrub is invasive and grows best in bordered gardens because it can grow up to four feet tall and spread out so it doesn’t grow uncontrollably. It is also a plant that only attracts adult butterflies and does not provide life cycle support for caterpillars, eggs or pupae. But if the goal is to lure colorful winged fliers around in search of nectar, it certainly lives up to its name.
summarize
Here is a list of flowers that are good at attracting butterflies:
| rank | flower name |
|---|---|
| 1 | butterfly bush |
| 2 | cone flower |
| 3 | Lantana |
| 4 | blue star |
| 5 | potted marigolds |
| 6 | black eyed susan |
| 7 | blazing star |
| 8 | bloodstone |
| 9 | Lavender |
| 10 | milkweed |
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
