Butterfly Caterpillar Host Plants

Large 8"+ wide pink flowers with overlapping petals 'airbrushed' with white extending to near the middle of the flowers and with a deep red eye are produced over an extended period beginning in late spring to summer (depending on your zone) and flowering into fall. Airbrush Effect Perennial or Hardy Hibiscus is an 'indeterminate' flowering selection meaning that it flowers over a longer period than older cultivars. This is a compact 3-4'H x 4-5'W plant with rich green foliage well suited to moist sunny sites in the garden and landscape. Provide a moderately fertile soil to help encourage vigorous growth and flowering. Caterpillar host: Gray Hairstreak. Image courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11710

Up to 2" wide, deep rosy pink daisies with a complimentary bright yellow eye are produced in abundance over an extended period beginning in late summer and into fall attracting a variety of mainly smaller pollinators but migrating Monarchs may seek these as well. Alma Pötschke New England Aster, a selection of our native Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a medium to tall, clump forming, herbaceous perennial growing to about 3-4' high. Its actual full name is Andenken an Alma Pötschke, which translates from the German to Souvenir of Alma Pötschke. An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, Alma Pötschke is an older German cultivar but it is still one of the best of the larger growing pink flowered forms. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Staking may be needed if plants are grown in overly rich fertile soils. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13328

Wide flat-topped clusters of white flowers are produced in spring atop sturdy stems adorned with deep green finely cut deep green foliage. American Wild Carrot, Daucus pusillus, is a native annual common to roadsides throughout much of the US and is commonly confused with the non-native Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota, which is a parent to the common Carrot. The flowers attract bees and other garden beneficials and once through flowering the flattened clusters curl upward at the outer edges creating a protected 'nest' of ripening seeds. Caterpillar host: Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail. The American Wild Carrot makes an easy addition to naturalistic roadside plantings, meadows, and prairies where it readily reseeds on exposed soils. Full sun is preferred in average to well-drained soils. Item# 12027

Amplissimus Rose of Sharon produces 2-3" wide, double, purplish-red flowers throughout much of summer on this easy to grow vigorous shrub, which is very tolerant of heat and most growing conditions. Althea or Rose of Sharon is a hardy Hibiscus that naturally develops into a multi-stemmed, vase-shaped deciduous shrub that can be trained into a tree form if desired. Provide an average moist to moderately moist, fertile soil and full sun for optimum growth and flowering. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 10338.

One of the earliest to begin flowering and new for 2023! The large, to 8" wide, full white flowers are centered by a deep burgundy eye that is surrounded by a halo of contrasting raspberry red veins that fade out toward the edges of the petals. Angel Eyes Perennial Hibiscus develops into a full sized 5' x 5' plant cloaked in rich green foliage that acts as a foil for the contrasting flowers. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in moist to average moist to wet, moderately fertile soils. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13102

2" wide rounded clusters of pink buds open to white flowers that adorn the tips of stems and are produced throughout the growing season on well-established plants. Arizona Milkweed, Asclepias angustifolia, in many regards is similar to the compact bushy habit of White Milkweed, A. perennis, and while it is from the southern Arizona desert it has done smashingly well as a container plant under average moisture conditions where it flowered and fruited throughout summer and into fall. As the specific eptithet implies, Arizona Milkweed is adorned in narrow foliage which may remain evergreen where winters are mild. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. In drier sites, part shade made be optimum. This species is native to Arizona's 3 southernmost counties. A host plant for Monarch and Queen butterflies. Item# 13361

Masses of 1" wide, bluish purple daisies with a yellow-eye absolutely cover these plants for weeks in late summer and fall attracting bees and other smaller pollinators. The Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolius, is a low mounding perennial that develops into a compact shrub-like plant by flowering time. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border as well as for additions to low maintenance landscapes. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained soil.Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Item# 10075

Large clusters of white late spring flowers produce green berries that ripen to a blue-black. The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and the edible fruits attract a variety of wildlife, especially birds. Arrowwood Viburnum is a vigorous growing, naturally rounded, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with rich green foliage and is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions. Fall color includes yellows, orange, reds, and near purple. Arrowwood Viburnum makes an easy hedge, background specimen, or screen. Easy and reliable. Item# 10922

2-3" wide, yellow sunflowers are born along the tall stems in summer on this durable native perennial. The Ashy Sunflower will spread and develop into a ground covering mass of plants with age. Contrasting soft, gray green foliage. Easy, drought tolerant, and reliable even for tough locations. Use it as a mass planting for large areas or in native gardens and meadows. Native to nearly all of the eastern half of the US. Caterpillar host: Milbert's Tortoiseshells  Item#10418.

4-5" wide flowers with white petals and sepals are topped by a crown of white filaments with a light purple halo surrounding the central portion of these exotic looking flowers. Bahama Blue Passion Flower is a beautiful and vigorous free flowering selection of the Blue Crown Passion Flower, Passiflora caerulea, with all its hardiness and reliability. The nectar rich flowers are adored by larger bees and the foliage is a host to a variety of butterflies. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moderately fertile, average moist, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 11222

An unusual conversation starting Milkweed that is eagerly consumed by caterpillars of Monarchs, Queens, and possibly Soldier butterflies. Balloon Milkweed is a vigorous heat and sun loving tropical African shrub that is grown as a dieback perennial except in areas with mild winter climates. It produces clusters of 1/2" wide cream to white star shaped flowers with a purplish 'eye' and the flowers attract butterflies along with a variety of other pollinators. Balloon Milkweed is adaptable to a wind range of soil types as long as they are well-drained and is moderately drought resistant once well established. Item# 10974.

The beautiful, unusual and almost alien looking burgundy, bronze, and green colored dutchman's pipe-like flowers are produced during the growing season atop the smooth and glossy olive green variegated foliage. Bejuco de Santiago, or Contribo in its native Belize, is an easy to grow, evergreen, vigorous twining tropical climber that is small enough to be enjoyed on a 3-4' trellis although it can climb to 12-15'H if given support. The foliage and dense habit are decorative and showy even when the plant is not in flower. Bejuco de Santiago can tolerate full sun but the foliage seems to be at its best where the plant receives some shade or filtered sun during the heat of the day. Caterpillar host: Polydamas and Pipevine Swallowtail. Item# 3123

The extra large flowers of Betty Magnolia can be up to 8" across and are pinkish purple to reddish purple on the outside and are white to near white on the inside. This is a vigorous growing Magnolia that typically grows as wide as it is tall with a naturally rounded habit on mature plants. Like the other 'Little Girls' in this series from the US National Arboretum, Betty flowers later minimizing the chance of freeze damage to the flowers. Caterpillar host: Western Tiger Swallowtail. Item# 11483

The bracts start out chartreuse to yellow and quickly begin to take on bronze tones and mature to a deep brick red. A favorite among hummingbirds, the nectar rich, tubular white flowers peak out from between the bracts and have maroon bee guides on the lower lip. The Bicolor Red Shrimp Plant, a selection of Justicia brandeegeana, is a heat loving, naturally evergreen, bushy, tropical plant with dark olive green foliage and grows to about 24" high by about 18" wide. The foliage of these plants may eventually show white and cream variegation as they were propagated from variegated mother plants. The Red Shrimp Plants can be enjoyed both as container plants as specimens or in mixed company as well as in the garden and landscape. It is both full sun and bright shade tolerant but tends to have the densest branching habit where it receives at least 4 hours or more of direct sunlight. Provide an average to well-drained, moderately fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. The Red Shrimp Plant is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Caterpillar host: Cuban Crescent, Texan Crescent, White Peacock, and Malachite. Item# 12909

Available again for 2024! Drooping spike-like clusters composed of numerous, lightly fragrant, small white flowers are produced in spring and are followed by small, 1/4-1/3" diameter red cherries that ripen to black and are consumed by a wide variety of birds and small mammals. The Black Cherry Tree, Prunus serotina, is a moderately fast growing, medium to large, deciduous native tree found throughout much of the eastern, central, and southwestern US as well as into Canada, Mexico, and into Central America. Its medium green serrated foliage is a caterpillar host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Viceroy butterflies as well as a variety of moths. The Black Cherry fairly consistently produces good yellow to red fall color even here in zone 8B in southwestern Louisiana and the white and gray winter bark adds to its interest. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for optimum growth and vigor. Item# 10469

The summerlong show of 8" deep dark merlot colored, ruffled flowers unfurl from nearly black buds and are held against a foil of deep green foliage. The darkest of Walter's Gardens intorductions, the large flowers of Blackberry Merlot Hardy Hibiscus are sure to stop traffic and may steal your neighbors hummingbird population! This is a compact well-branched plant on a clump-forming hardy perennial rated into zone 4 with proper winter protection.  Like most other Walter's Gardens introductions, Blackberry Merlot is an indeterminate plant producing flowers from the top to the bottom of the plants creating a knockout display in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in moist to average moist to wet, moderately fertile soils. Caterpillar host: Gray Hairstreak. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12492

One of the hottest new native grasses on the market! Blackhawks Big Bluestem starts off in spring as a deep green clump of upright to arching blades that may be tipped with red to purple. It is in late summer when the real show begins with the upright and arching foliage and flowering stems of August deepen to red to red-purple and further deepening and intensifying as the cooler fall weather arrives becoming nearly all black as its sturdy and showy flowering stems begin to mature. Blackhawks Big Bluestem is a slightly more compact plant reaching about 4-5' high when in flower. The species is native throughout much of the eastern 2/3's of the US and is a clumping to slowly spreading rhizomatous grass whose seeds are utilized by a number of seed eating birds. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with an average to well-drained, acidic soil for the deepest foliage colors and optimum vigor. Plants are in their best form when grown in a low fertility soil. Overly fertile soils can cause them to topple at maturity.Caterpillars: Arogos Skipper and Delaware Skipper. Images courtesy of Brent Horvath, Intrinsic Perennials, all rights reserved. Item# 12169

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Clusters of 2" long, orange-red, tubular, trumpet-shaped flowers with an orange throats are produced beginning in early spring with and just before the arrival of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds and may continue sporadically until fall on mature plantings. Blanche Sandman Coral Honeysuckle, a disease resistant and free-flowering selection of the southeastern native Lonicera sempervirens, is an easy, undemanding, non-invasive, semi-evergreen to deciduous twining vine that works well on fences, trellises, and arbors. Clusters of bright clear red, 1/4" diameter, songbird friendly berries are produced after flowering and can be removed to promote new growth and additional flowering. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Coral Honeysuckle is one of our top recommended vines for attracting hummingbirds who greedily guard the plants from interlopers. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Item# 12662

A crown of deep sapphire blue filaments create a striking contrast with the white petals and sepals that are held against the rich green foliage throughout the growing season. The Blue Crown Passionflower is a vigorous growing tropical vine and can easily reach 20' once well-established. This is also one of the most reliably cold hardy Passionvines with foliage remaining evergreen in the mildest 8B winters but dying back to the ground in severe winters and returning readily in spring. The Blue Crown Passionflower may spread somewhat by rhizomes but it is generally much more tame than the Maypop. Cross pollination may produce tropical tasting tangy fruit that surrounds the dark seeds inside. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 733

The large, 3-4'' wide, blue to lavender, Hibiscus-like flowers are produced throughout the warmer months of the year to year-round under warm frost free conditions. The Blue Hibiscus, Alyogyne huegelii, is an upright to rounded, naturally evergreen, Australian native shrub that is heat and sunloving and is somewhat drought resistant once well-established. It is fairly adaptable to soil types and moisture as long as they are provided with excellent drainage, otherwise it tends to be fairly short-lived. Full sun is optimal and it can be enjoyed both as a container plant as well as making a nice specimen or informal hedge in the garden and landscape. It is sometimes trained as a tree standard to good effect. Plants tend to be somewhat open and if foliage becomes too sparse or the plants too larger they can be pruned back fairly hard and will put out vigorous new growth and some sources suggest that it flowers best after a good pruning. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 12881

2022 Missouri Botanic Garden Plants of Merit selection! One of the most amazingly blue colored flowers in the plant world! This small growing but vigorous annual or tender perennial vine produces loads of brilliant deep blue flowers with recurving and overlapping petals with a white to creamy yellow throat. It can be successfully overwintered but it's easier just to save a few seeds to plant in spring. Caterpillar host: Longtail Skipper. Item# 9114

Blue dye can be extracted from the blossoms!!

Light blue to blue-purple 1/4" wide nectar-rich flowers adorn the tall narrow indeterminate flower spikes from spring to frost to year round under warm tropical conditions. Native to Florida and much of the tropical Americas, Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, has smoother lighter green foliage and generally grows wider than tall whereas the other Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis or S. urticifolia, has more rugose or quilted deeper green glossier foliage with a typically upright habit. Porterweeds are excellent pollinator plants where they attract a continuous menagerie of aerial acrobats from spring until frost. This a heat and sunloving tropical to tender perennial that can be added to gardens and landscapes or plant them in containers to draw the pollinators in for upclose viewing. Blue Porterweed is also a caterpillar host plant for the Tropical Buckeye butterfly. Item# 12046

Masses of 1" wide blue to violet daisies with a yellow eye seemingly cover up this perennial in late summer and fall providing nectar for pollinators including bees and migrating Monarchs. Bluebird Smooth Blue Aster, a selection of Symphyotrichum laeve (previously Aster laevis), was the top-rated aster in trials at Mt. Cuba Center. It has a naturally upright to vase-shaped, clump-forming habit and grows to 3-4' at flowering but can be pinched in late spring or early summer to produce a fuller more compact plant. The Smooth Blue Aster is found throughout much of the US and into Canada. Provide a well-drained, average to semi-dry soil conditions in full sun to mostly sunny sites for optimum vigor and flowering, although it is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions. It is considered to be tolerant of part shade to light shade, but plants may require staking. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12247