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Butterfly Gardens

June 13, 2024

CHOOSE NECTAR & POLLEN-RICH PLANTS

Like Wildfowers!

The most important step you can take is to plant a pollinator-friendly garden. Choose nectar and pollen-rich plants like wildflowers and old-fashioned varieties of flowers. A succession of blooming annuals, perennials, and shrubs is best so nectar and pollen will be available throughout the growing season. Also, include plants like dill, fennel, and milkweed that butterfly larvae feed on.

Creating butterfly gardens is easy and fun; learn how to spice up your yard to attract butterflies.

Our Butterfly House was recently damaged by high winds and we are rebuilding it for the 2022 season. It will be opened to the public Monday, June 20th.

Butterfly & Butterfly Weed

Provide Rocks & Water

Any size garden can attract and support pollinators — from a wildflower meadow to a planter with a few well-chosen species.

Invite butterflies to sunbathe. As cold-blooded insects, butterflies like to warm themselves in the sun. Create a few perches out of the wind; chances are you’ll also see them resting on a sunny rock or on top of a fence post.

Put a mixture of sand and soil in a plant saucer or a shallow bowl and add enough water to saturate the mixture thoroughly, but not so much that there’s standing water. Butterflies like to rest on wet sand or soil and absorb moisture and minerals from it. If the “drinking station” dries out too fast in your climate, sink a bucket filled with a wet mixture of soil and sand into the ground.

Nectar vs Host Plants

Include plants that will support butterflies throughout their life cycle. Flowering nectar plants offer food and energy for adults, while the leaves of larval plants such as parsley and milkweed nourish growing caterpillars. Plants that provide both nectar sources for butterflies and caterpillar food are especially valuable for smaller spaces.

Although each type of butterfly has its preferences for host plants, favorites typically include parsley, dill, fennel, borage, and milkweed. Other species like shrubs and trees such as serviceberry, willow, dogwood and viburnum.

Butterfly Plants
Butterfly Plants

Avoid

Avoid using pesticides. Treat your landscape like the miniature ecosystem that it is, banning the use of insecticides and herbicides. With a diversity of plant material, you’re not likely to attract large numbers of plant pests, and you’ll also be protecting natural predators.

These plants are native to and will thrive in Ohio. Help Ohio wildlife and enjoy the beauty of nature when you add one of our curated native plant collections outside your home.

Source: https://hamilton.osu.edu/sites/hamilton/files/imce/butterflygardens.pdf

Plant SpeciesSeasonDescriptionGrowth RequirementsButterflies It Attracts
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)Summer-Fall3-7′, perennial, violet 1″ flowersMoist low fertile soils, full sunVariety; red admiral, painted lady, monarch, pearl crescent, whites, sulphurs
Sky Blue Aster (Aster azureus)Summer-Fall24-36″, perennial, blue flowersMoist or dry soils, shade tolerantPearl crescent, whites, sulphurs
Smooth Aster (Aster laevis)Summer-Fall2-4′, perennial, violet flowersWell drained soils, sunny areasRed admiral, pearl crescent, whites, sulphurs
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)*Summer 2-5′, perennial, scarlet flowers in tubular whorlsRich to moist soils, full sun to light shadeVariety; painted lady, cabbage, milbert’s tortoise shell, mourning cloak, eastern tiger swallowtail
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)*Summer 2-4′, perennial, lavender-pink flowersDry calcareous soils, full sun to light shadeVariety; painted lady, cabbage, milbert’s tortoise shell
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)Summer-Fall 18-48″, perennial, yellow flowers 1-6′, perennial,Moist soils, sunny areas Moist, acidicWhites, sulphurs, brushfoots, skippers, blues
Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)Summer 1-6′, perennial, purple flowers in spikesMoist, acidic soils, full sun Painted lady, fritillaries, skippers, sulphurs, coppers, checkerspots
Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)Summer-Fall 2-4′, perennial, purple flowers, broad flower headDry sandy soils, full sun Painted lady, fritillaries, skippers, sulphurs, coppers, checkerspots
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)*Late Summer- Early Fall1-2′, perennial, various flower colors, drought tolerantGrows well in most any area Variety; monarch, red admiral, swallowtails, skippers, larvae
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)*Summer-Fall 2-5′, perennial, red flower Moist soils, partial shady areasBest for hummingbirds, bound to attract variety of butterflies
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)*Spring- Summer1-3′, perennial, red to pink, unique flower structureSunny to shady areas Best for hummingbirds, bound to attract variety of butterflies
Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)Summer-Fall 2-4′, perennial, white flowers in flat clusterMoist soils, open areas Variety; painted lady, red admiral, tiger swallowtail, monarch, silver-spotted skipper
Greater Coreopsis (Coreopsis major)*Summer 18-36″, yellow flowers, long bloomDry soils, sunny areas Variety; eastern tailed blue, spring azure, pearl crescent, viceroy, red admiral
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)Spring- Summer1-2′, perennial, pink flowers Moist well- drained soils, partial shadeSkippers, eastern tailed blue
Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus)Spring- Summer3-7′, white flowers in branching cluster 1-5′ perennial,Rich soils, light shade, shade tolerant Well drainedVariety; spring azure
Goldenrod (Solidago)Summer-Fall 1-5′ perennial, yellow flowers Well drained soils, sunny areasSulphurs, whites, coppers, monarch, hairstreaks, viceroy, painted lady
Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)Summer-Fall 3-4′, yellow flowers, rigid and upright Up to 6′, perennial,Well drained soils, full sun Various moistMonarch, viceroy
Iron Weed (Vernonia noveboracensis)Summer-Fall Up to 6′, perennial, purple flowers Various moist soils, full sun Variety; tiger swallowtail, monarch, great spangled fritillary, silver-spotted skipper, spicebush swallowtail
Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)Fall 5-10′, perennial, large yellow flowers 2-5′, perennial,Moist fertile soils Moist soils,Variety; monarch, painted lady, checkerspots
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)*Summer-Fall 2-5′, perennial, orange and yellow flowersMoist soils, tolerates full sun to full shadeBest for hummingbirds, bound to attract variety of butterflies
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum)Late Summer 2-6′, perennial, pink to lavender flowersMoist soils, open areas Variety; painted lady, red admiral, monarch, silver- spotted skipper, swallowtails
Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)Spring 8-24″, perennial, blue pea flower DescriptionDry acidic soils Growth RequirementsLarvae
Maximillian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii)Summer-Fall 3-7′, perennial, large yellow flowers 1-3′, perennial,Drought tolerant, full sun Dry soils,Variety; monarch, painted lady, checkerspots
Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum)Summer-Fall 1-3′, perennial, light purple flowersDry soils, full sun Variety; red admiral, eastern tailed blue, pearl crescent, spring azure, sulphurs, whites
Ox-eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)Summer 3-6′, yellow flowers Moist soils, full sun Variety; atlantis fritillary, European skipper, early hairstreak
PawPaw (Asiminia triloba)Spring Small broad- leafed tree 12-36″, perennial,Moist soils, sun to light shade Dry soils,Larvae, swallowtails
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)Summer 12-36″, perennial, flat clusters of white flowersDry soils, sunny areas, drought tolerantSmall butterflies, painted lady
Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)*Spring 10-20″, perennial, blue to purple showy flowersFertile soils, well-drained, partial shadeLarvae, swallowtails, sulphurs, painted lady, viceroy
Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata)Spring Creeping ground cover, pink flowers Up to 4′ hardyDry acidic soils, shady areas Rich, wellSmall butterflies
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)Summer-Fall Up to 4′ hardy perennial, purple flowers, heatRich, well drained soil, sunny areasVariety; tiger swallowtail, viceroy, great spangled fritillary, whites, hairstreaks, blues, skippers
Royal Catchfly (Silene regia)*Summer 3-4′, perennial, red flowers Sandy, dry soils, full sun Best for hummingbirds, bound to attract variety of butterflies
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)Spring Fragrant shrub, white flowers, produces fruitMoist soils, sunny areas Variety; spring azure, larvae
Sweet White Violet (Viola blanda)Spring 3-5″, perennial, white flower 3-8″, perennial,Moist, fertile areas, light shade Moist soils, sunnyLarvae
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)Spring 3-8″, perennial, blue-white flowers 3-8″, perennial,Moist soils, sunny or partial shady areas Moist to wetLarvae
March Blue Violet (Viola cucullata)Spring 3-8″, perennial, blue flowers, groundcoverMoist to wet soils, shade tolerant Larvae
Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)Spring 1-2′, purple nodding flowers 12-24″, smallRich soils, sunny to shady areas Dry soils, full sunVariety
Yarrow (Achillea species)Summer-Fall 12-24″, small white flowers Dry soils, full sun Variety; coppers, hairstreaks, skippers, sulphurs

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