Do you know the types of butterflies and the plants they love? Learn all about this captivating insect here...
The butterflies listed below and described will be found in most of North America. I will also list the nectar and host plants for these butterflies.
American Painted Lady (V. virginiensis)
Host plants: Painted lady: thistle, pearly everlasting, knapweed, burdock, sunflower, wormwood, borage, and members of the mallow family including hollyhocks
American painted lady: pearly everlasting, burdock and wormwood
Nectar plants: Thistle, zinnia, heliotrope, butterfly bush and mint
Natural habitats: Painted lady: deserts, meadows and mountains
American painted lady: open areas, meadows and stream banks
Buckeye (Junomia coenia)
Host plants: Plantain, snapdragon, sedum, verbena
Nectar plants: Many, including composites such as aster, chickory, coreopsis, milkweed and sunflower
Natural habitats: Open areas, meadows, fields, roadsides.
European Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
Host plants: Broccoli, cabbage, nasturtium and mustard
Nectar plants: Aster, dogbane, dandelion, lantana, milkweed, mint and red clover
Natural habitats: Agricultural fields, plants, vegetable gardens and woodlands
Fritallaries: Great spangled (Speyeria cybele), variegated (Euptoieta claudia) and silver bordered (Clossiana selene)
Host plants: Violet
Nectar plants: Black-eyed susan, dogbane, loose-strife, milkweed, and purple coneflower
Natural habitats: Open areas, fields, forest edges
Hummingbird Sphinx Moth (Hemaris thysbe)
Host plants: Viburnum, snowberry
Nectar plants: Four o'clocks, lilacs, Nicotiana, and petunias
Natural habitats: Open areas where host plants grow; moths are visible during the day.
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Host plants: Milkweed
Nectar plants: Butterfly bush, cosmos, lilac, lantana, milkweed, and mints
Natural habitats: Open areas, meadows, fields, roadsides and marshes
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
Host plants: Ash, elm, poplar and willow
Nectar plants: Buddleia, dogband and shasta daisy
Natural habitats: Open woodlands, river bands and forest edges.
Orange Sulphur (C. eurytheme)
Host plants: Many legumes, alfalfa, clovers, trefoil, and vetch
Nectar plants: Alfalfa, aster and clover
Natural habitats: Fields, meadows and lawns
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Host plants: Pipevines (Aristolochia)
Nectar plants: Azalea, butterfly bush, honeysuckle,lanta, lilac, phlox, thistle and verbana
Natural habitats: Forests, fields, roadsides
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Host plants: Nettle family
Nectar plants: ageratum, butterfly bush, dandelion, milkweed, red clover, rotting fruit and tree sap clover
Natural habitats: Open woodland, forest edge, meadows, streambanks
Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Host plants: Pea family, including kudzu, locust, tick-trefoils, wisteria but not garden peas or beans.
Nectar plants: Honeysuckle, iris, milkweed, thistle, red clover, and zinnia
Natural habitats: Open woodlands, roadsides, suburban yards.
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)
Host plants: black snakeroot, black snakeroot, blueberry, cherry, dogwood, sumar and viburnum
Nectar plants: blackberry, cherry, cottoneaster, dogwood, forget-me-not, holly, ivy, privet, spice-bush, violet and willow.
Natural habitats: Open woodlands, fields, roadsides, freshwater marshes, suburban yards.
Tiger Swallowtails, Eastern tiger (Papilio glaucus), Western tiger (P. rutuls) and two-tailed tiger (P. multicaudata)
Host plants: Willow, aspen, cherry, poplar, green ash
Nectar plants: Buddleia, thistle, milkweed, lilac, honeysuckle, phlox
Natural habitas: Woodlands, streamsides, roadsides
Tomato Hornworm Spphinx Moth (Manduca quinquemaculata)
Host plants: Tomatoes, tobacco, potatoes, peppers, eggplant
Nectar plants: Nicotiana, petunia datura, four o'clocks and phlox
Natural habitats: Agricultural fields, garden; moths seen mostly at dusk and night.
If you learn the nectar plants (for the adults) and host plants (for the caterpillars) you will increase sightings of these beautiful butterflies.
