Native Plants that Work Well in Butterfly Gardens

To construct a butterfly garden, find plants that are either larval hosts or food sources for butterflies and moths. Using native plants that attract butterflies and moths means that you will have less maintenance to keep the garden attractive, as natives are designed to work here. They keep native fauna in the environment by providing them with shelter and food that they are used to having. Exotic or introduced plants can become invasive or choke out native flora and fauna. These selections are all native to the United States and attract specific butterfly species to them for their work as a larval host, according to the Native Plant Information Network. Larval host plants are those where butterflies lay their eggs so that the caterpillars have something to eat.

New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana)

A member of the pea family, the New Mexico locust grows one to 10 feet high in cultivated landscapes or yards. It has many red-purple branches, rose-pink flowers, and green leaves. It is fragrant and its beans are rough and hairy. This native prefers to grow in partial shade with a dry soil. Propagate by seed or by root cuttings taken in the spring. It is a larval host plant for the Golden Banded-Skipper butterfly and the Funereal Duskywing butterfly.

Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora)

A member of the acanthus family of plants, the violet ruellia grows one to two feet high. It has opposite gray-green leaves, and purplish flowers shaped like a trumpet. Flowers will last one day, opening in the early morning and falling off in the afternoon. Violet ruellia likes to grow in any lighting condition in any type of soil. Propagate by seed, it may even self-sow. It is a larval host plant for the Cuban Crescent, the Common Buckeye, the Malachite, and the White Peacock butterflies.

Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans)

A member of the trumpet-creeper family of plants, the yellow bells plant grows three to six feet high on average with some reaching nine feet. There are clusters of yellow flowers, shaped like trumpets. The plant becomes covered with these bright yellow flowers during the growing season. Leaves are olive-green and are lance-like in appearance. In the fall, the plant will have long seed pods. Yellow bells prefer full sun or partial shade and a dry well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and cold tolerant. Propagate by seed or by softwood cuttings. It is a larval host plant for the Plebeian Sphinx moth.

Related Content:

Butterfly Garden Native Flower Choices

Butterfly Loving Native Trees for the Landscape

The Best Butterfly Garden Milkweeds

Sources:

NPIN: New Mexico Locust

NPIN: Violet Ruellia

NPIN: Yellow Bells