without a name or a close look, the beauty of a butterfly's dance adds grace and dimension to any garden, field, or woodland. And understanding the "why" behind the dance and the butterfly's intimate relationship with plants brings a deeper understanding of one of nature's wonders.

 
Butterfly gardening has become very popular in the last few years. The sight of butterflies soaring on the summer breeze or flitting from blossom to blossom, sipping nectar from their favorite flower adds a bit of magic to a garden.
 
Butterflies pass through four phases as they complete their life cycle - egg, larva, pupa, and adult - relying on two different food sources as they develop. The first source is called the larval plant. The eggs are deposited on this plant, which provides food for the developing caterpillar. The second source is the nectar plant which supplies carbohydrates for adult butterflies. Ideally, a variety of both sources will provide the garden with the greatest success. There are many native plants that attract butterflies. Each species of butterfly has its preferred food plants.

It is important to plant your butterfly garden in full sun. Many species are unable to fly until the sun has warmed their bodies. Also, it is important that you avoid using pesticides or herbicides.

 

The following is a list of plants and the butterfly caterpillars that depend on them:

Birch (Betula spp.)                       Mourning cloak, white admiral

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)          Brown elfin

Dogwood (Cornus spp.)              Spring azure

Lupine (Lupinus perennis)          Silvery blue, blue karner

Mallow (Malva spp.)                    Gray hairstreak

Meadowsweet (Spiraea spp.)     Spring azure

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)           Monarch

Oak (Quercus spp.)                    Banded hairstreak

Paw paw (Asiminia spp.)           Zebra swallowtail

Pipe vine (Aristolochia spp.)       Pipevine swallowtail

Sneezeweed (Helenium spp.)    Dainty sulphur

Turtlehead (Chelone spp.)          Baltimore buckeye

Violet (Viola spp.)                       Great spangled fritillary, meadow fritilaary

Willow (Salix spp.)                     Viceroy, morning cloak

 

The following is a list of nectar plants:

Allium (Allium spp.)                    

Bee balm (Monarda didyma)

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)

Blazing-star, Gayfeather (Liatris spp.)

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

False dragonhead (Physostegia virginiana)

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium spp.)

Lily (Lillium spp.)

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)

New England aster (Aster novae-angliae)

Oxeye daise (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Sunflower (Helianthus spp.)

Veronica (Veronica spp.)

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

 

Shrubs

Early

Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Mid

Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)

 

Trees

Buckeye (Aesculus spp.)

Willow (Salix spp.)