Butterfly Gardening in Silver Spring, Maryland
The Most Attractive Nectar Plants for Butterflies and Moths in my Garden
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The Most Attractive Nectar Plants for Butterflies and Moths in my Garden
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You can attract butterflies and moths with fruit.
Butterflies that nectar at the most different plants.
Butterfly List for the Garden 2004 -2007
Butterfly List for the Garden 1993-2003
Notes on Sightings
Caterpillars in the Garden
Butterfly-Attracting Plants in the Garden
Flowers and the Butterflies and Moths Seen Nectaring on Them
Butterfly species and the nectar plants that they visit based on data from my butterfly garden.
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Planting a Native Plant, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Attracting Garden
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Acknowledgements

 

These are the most attractive nonnative nectar sources in my garden (ranked in order of the number of butterfly and moth species seen nectaring at them). In parenthesis are: (number of species, number of years in garden as of 2004):

    1. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) (32, 12)
    2. Brazilian Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) (27, 6)
    3. Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) (26, 8)
    4. Marigolds (Tagetes species) (23, 7)
    5. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) (16, 12) (When I started my butterfly garden, this was very attractive; but it is not now probably because I've added other nectar plants).
    6. Zinnia (Zinnia species) (15, 6)
    7. White Clover (Trifolium repens) (13, 12)
    8. Heliotrope "Marine" (Heliotropium arborescens) (13, 5) (deer love this)
    9. Lantana (Lantana camara) (12, 2)
    10. Salvia "Blue Bedder" (Salvia faranacea) (11, 4)
    11. Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) (11, 12)
    12. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) (11, 10) (deer love this)
    13. Garlic Chives (Chinese Chives) (Allium tuberosum) (11, 12)
    14. Bloodflower (Asclepias curassavica) (8, 7)
    15. Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) (8, 10)
    16. Cosmos "Sensation" (7, 6)
    17. Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) (7, 2) (blooms early)
    18. Sedum (Autumn Joy) (Sedum spectabile) (7, 12)
    19. Ground Ivy (Gill-over-the-Ground) (Glechoma hederacea) (6, 12)
    20. Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) (5, 6)
    21. Glossy Abelia (Abelia grandiflora) (5, 12)
    22. Oriental Lily (Lilium speciosum) (5, 12) (deer love the buds)
    23. Verbena (Verbena tenera) (5, 2)
    24. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) (5, 12)
    25. Mint (Mentha species) (5, 12)
    26. Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) (4, 12)
    27. Lavender (Lavendula species.) (4, 12)
    28. Creeping Wood Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) (3, 12)
    29. Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) (2, 3)
    30. Daylily (Hemerocallis hybrida) (2, 12)
    31. Red Giant Mustard (Brassica juncea var. rugusa) (2, 12)

 

Native nectar plants (ranked by the number of butterfly and moth species seen nectaring at them)(in parenthesis: number of species, years in garden):

 

    1. Mistflower (Wild Ageratum) (Eupatorium coelestinum) (25, 12)
    2. Late-flowering Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) (23, 10)
    3. Indian Hemp (Dogbane) (Apocynum cannabinum) (19, 7)
    4. Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia speciosa) (17, 11)
    5. New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) (16, 11) (deer love this)
    6. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) (14, 10)
    7. Heath Aster (Aster pilosus) (14, 9)
    8. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) (13, 9)
    9. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) (7, 12)
    10. Great Blue Lobelia (Blue Cardinal Flower) (Lobelia siphilitica) (7, 9) (deer love this)
    11. Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) (7, 9)
    12. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) (7, 11)
    13. Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) (7, 10) (blooms early)
    14. Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) (6, 10)
    15. Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) (6, 12)
    16. New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) (6, 10)
    17. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) (6, 10)
    18. Smooth Aster (Aster laevis) (5, 8) (deer love this)
    19. Small White Aster (Aster vimineus) (5, 9)
    20. Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) (5, 11)
    21. Tickseed Sunflower (Bidens coronata) (4, 4)
    22. Wingstem (4,4)
    23. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) (4, 10)
    24. Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) (2, 9)

Further Information on What Nectar Plants Butterflies Prefer. 

If you want to attract swallowtails, plant Butterfly Bush (3), Common Milkweed (2), Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) (2), Oregano (2), and Oriental Lilies (2). These are the most favored by swallowtails in my garden. The number of swallowtail species attracted is in parenthesis.

For hairstreaks, try Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) (3), Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) (3), Heath Aster (3), and Late-flowering Boneset (3).

For skippers, plant Globe Amaranth (15), Brazilian Verbena (11), Butterfly Bush (11), and Mist Flower (10).

And be sure to add plants that caterpillars eat.  The following are especially popular in my garden:  Common Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), milkweeds, asters, fennel, parsley, clovers, spicebush, and Common Blue Violets (Viola papilionacea).

This information is developed from more extensive data.  Click on the link to the left labeled:  "Flowers and Butterflies and Moths Seen Nectaring on Them." 

You can also attract butterflies to your garden with fruit.  Click on the link to the left labeled:  "You can attract Butterflies and Moths with Fruit." 

Butterfly Gardening in Silver Spring, Maryland
Copyright © 2004, Eric Raun. All Rights Reserved.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at  raueri at msn.com