Butterfly Host Plants for the Southern Plains Garden

Identify which plants you’ll need to host the hungry caterpillars of your favorite butterflies

There are many reasons for having a butterfly garden , the childlike one being sheer stunner . People of all ages enjoy observe butterflies dance through their gardens . butterfly also serve as important pollinator . And as we continue to hear in the news , their population are in knifelike decline , so elbow grease to aid their numbers are well - directed .

Butterflies may sip nectar from different plants than their eggs are laid on

A complete butterfly stroke garden includes ambrosia plants for nourishing the grownup butterfly stroke and host flora to house and nourish the cat . While there are specific nectar plants that butterflies may favor , adult butterfly stroke may sip nectar from many flowering plant mintage , both native and foreign-born . They are not tie to a single nectar source , or even a handful of rootage . They are , however , tied to a smaller number of ( many times even a individual ) host industrial plant species for lay their eggs . The grownup female butterfly stroke lay her eggs on a suitable host plant life , commonly on the bottom of a leaf . Ten to 14 days later tiny larvae emerge , about one-half of an inch long . These are the caterpillars that will expend the come up week use up the host plant ( and others of its species nearby ) and growing until it is meter to constitute its chrysalis . Because the horde plant species are so specific to each butterfly stroke specie , we can make a bounteous impact on butterfly populations in our garden by pore on bring home the bacon host plant life for their young . So where do we initiate ?

Determine which butterfly species are found in your area, decide which species you’d most like to attract, and then select host plants for those species

An fantabulous resource for this is theNational Wildlife Federation ’s Native Plant Finder website . This database , which you search using your zipper code , tells you which butterflies are find in your sphere and which innkeeper plants each of those species use in your field . You will get a long list of butterfly stroke species , which you’re able to use to make a short list of your favorites that you want to target in your garden . Maybe you ’re specially interested in monarchs because of their multigenerational migrations . Or perchance you view a spicebush swallowtail while you were hiking and you would love to have that mintage visit your garden . Your list may include a butterfly stroke specie you have never seen or hear of before but that you recover especially interesting . One of the butterfly species that appears on the list for my zip code in Austin is the American paint noblewoman .

American painted lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

The Native Plant Finder website provided me with the following host plant life for this species in my surface area :

Some of the species in your industrial plant list may not be plants that you ’d want to put in your garden . possibly they are too boney or too large or otherwise do n’t suit your quad . But looking at my leaning above , I see that I may want to consider set a Texas persimmon if I have a space for a minor tree . Or peradventure I have a hot , juiceless expanse that I ’d wish to cover , and sage brush would be a great option that would also attract American paint madam butterfly .

The follow are a few other beautiful butterfly species that are find in the Southern Plains part and their corresponding emcee plants .

Snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis)

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Purple passionflower ( Passiflora incarnata , Zones 5–9).Photo : Karen Beaty

Gulf fritillary . Photo : Sheila Brown

The Xerces Society , which is a conservation organization , is another fantabulous resourcefulness for information about master of ceremonies plants for pollinator . Keep in mind that even if you are n’t creating a butterfly garden from scratch , you could always add a few host plant specie to your live garden to appeal more of these beautiful creatures .

— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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gulf fritillaries

While butterflies like these gulf fritillaries may sample nectar from an assortment of flowers, different species require specific plants to lay their eggs on and consume as caterpillars.Photo: pxfuel.com

monarch caterpillar

Most people know that monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed plants, but other caterpillars also require specific host plants.Photo: Jennifer Benner

‘Powis Castle’ sagebrush