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. Image courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11710

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# 10320.

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. 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 dark colored purplish-bronze finely textured foliage makes a beautiful addition to the perennial border or the butterfly garden. Mix it with Golden Delicious Pineapple Sage or other yellow foliaged and flowering plants for a great combination. Item #9121.

Tall spikes of dark golden yellow 1" blooms are born in summer and fall on an upright growing shrub. Called Popcorn Cassia because when brushed or crushed the foliage emits the wonderful fragrance of freshly buttered popcorn. Item# 9018.

Tall candles to 18" high that are composed of golden yellow blossoms and buds rise well above the foliage of this popular pass along plant from mid to late summer well into fall for an outstanding show. The Candlestick plant is a moderately fast growing and vigorous sun loving tropical that is excellent for the back of the border. Attracts butterflies as well as serves as a host to Sulphur butterfly caterpillars. Reseeds readily. Item# 10017.

This native perennial Hibiscus boasts 6-8" wide white to pink flowers with a dark burgundy eye. Common to moist and wet areas as the name implies but is quite happy in average moist garden soils. A vigorous and hardy native perennial that can reach 7' but is more commonly found at 4'. The foliage may be used as a butterfly larval host by Hairstreaks, Blues, Coppers, and others. Item# 9399.

The deep dark blackberry purple neatly pleated hose-in-hose flowers of this exquisite Columbine are narrowly edged in contrasting white and are held above a foil of softly textured blue-green foliage. Double Pleat Blackberry™ Columbine flowers over an extended period beginning in spring and continuing into summer under good conditions (we have seen this plant flower on and off through much of summer). Provide midday and afternoon or filtered shade in hot summer climates and a moist but well-drained mineral soil for the longest flowering and best vigor. Columbine make a natural addition to cottage garden settings and can be enjoyed as container plants as well as in the garden and landscape. Columbine are not always long lived perennials but readily reseed on bare soils. Aquilegias also make for good fresh cut flowers. Item# 11658

The dwarf form of it's much larger cousin and native to the sandy and sandy loam soils of much of the southeast US. The Dwarf Pawpaw produces 3-5" green-yellow elongated fruit that eventually turn brown to nearly black when ripe. It is reported to have a banana custard-like flavor, some say that fully ripe fruit of the Dwarf Pawpaw is equal to the Pawpaw, while others firmly disagree. Produces small maroon to greenish flowers flowers in spring. A small to medium-sized, spreading to upright, moderately slow growing, native deciduous shrub. A caterpillar host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. Seedling grown. Plant two for pollination. Item# 10232.

White petals alternate with lavender sepals that are topped by a wide corona of frilly white filaments that darken to purple. Frederick Passion Fruit is self-pollinating and the flowers are followed by large purple fruit with a sweet tangy flavor once fully ripe that can be eaten fresh or juiced. This is also considered to be one of the most reliably cold hardy Passionfruit varieties surviving well into zone 9. A vigorous dense and free flowering selection. Can be grown as a container plant where not hardy. Item# 11253

1" wide dark maroon pipe-like flowers are edged and veined in soft yellow and are edged in a loose yellow fringe and are borne from spring to fall. The 2-3" wide rounded to heart shaped foliage is accented by white veins and is used by the Pipevine Swallowtail as a host plant. Use Fringed Dutchman's Pipevine as a hardy deciduous groundcover, allow it to spill from containers, or in hanging baskets to better display the unusual flowers. Item# 9681.

Clusters of white to lilac, up to 1" wide, star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers are produced nearly continuously throughout the warmer months of the year. The large velvety, white to gray green, large rounded tropical foliage of the Giant Milkweed make excellent fodder for Monarch caterpillars and one leaf can provide a substantial amount of food. A large growing shrub in tropical climates where it can be trained into a tree form, grown as a shrub, or hedge. The Giant Milkweed can easily be maintained as a large container plant. Item# 11038

Large clusters of deep golden yellow flowers are produced over an extended period in spring and summer on this naturally evergreen shrub to die-back perennial. The flowers of the Golden Cassia attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. In all regards this plant looks very similar to Cassia (or Senna) corymbosa but flowers in summer. The foliage may be used as a caterpillar food source for Yellows and Sulphur butterflies. Item# 11512

This native perennial Hibiscus produces 5-6" wide white, cream, or pink flowers with a deep burgundy eye over a long period in summer. Native to moist acidic soils but will perform nicely in average garden soils in full sun. The perennial native Hibiscus are hosts to a wide variety of butterfly species. Item# 9744.

Considered by many to be one of the most fragrant Passionvines with a strong gardenia-like perfume emanating from the 2" white flowers that have a purple stripe centered on the frilly corona. May produce delicious passionfruit under good conditions and with cross-pollination. The beautiful silvery-green delicate trilobed foliage makes it a great contrast for darker colored trellises and backdrops. A vigorous growing vine that is adaptive to containers as well. Can be successfully grown indoors. A host plant for the Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and other Heliconian butterflies. Item # 9229.

1/2"-3/4" wide, white to greenish white, mimosa-like flowers sit atop short stalks that emerge from the leaf axils. The flowers are often followed by an unusual and decorative curling cluster of brown to black seedpods that are excellent for wildlife. The fine, fern-like foliage and stems may also be browsed by wildlife and also serve as the host plant for the Northern and Southern Cloudywing Skipper butterflies. Attracts pollinators. Item# 10459.

The deep purple 3-4", richly fragrant exotic looking flowers are produced throughout the growing season on this vigorous Passionvine with medium green foliage. Incense is considered to be one of the hardiest passionvines for US gardens along with the native Maypop Passionvine, Passiflora incarnata, one of its parents, and the US native Yellow Passionvine, Passiflora lutea. In our experience Incense rarely produces fruit on its own and some sources suggest that hand pollination is required. Like the native Maypop Passionflower, Incense readily spreads by rhizomes. A caterpillar host for the Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and other Heliconian butterflies. Item # 464.

The dark coppery to burgundy colored cloak of foliage is topped by a summer long display of large full light pink to near white flowers that are delicately marked with darker pink veining and a burgundy eye. A truly remarkable contrast that is impossible to miss in the landscape! A clump forming moisture loving perennial, Kopper King's compact habit and dark foliage make it a stand out when sited behind Louisiana Irises or next to the chartreuse foliage of Maui Gold Elephant Ears. Image courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 10925