Butterfly Caterpillar Host Plants

Giant 6" scarlet pinwheels are produced throughout summer and often well into fall on sturdy stems with finely cut darkly tinged foliage. The Red Texas Star or Scarlet Swamp Mallow is a vigorous sun loving perennial which is native to the swampy soils of the southeastern US but is somewhat drought resistant once well-established in the garden. The brilliant red flowers attract a variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, bees, and the occasional butterfly. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 672.

A multitude of upward facing, sleepy, scarlet blooms are born among the soft, dark green foliage from late spring to frost. A hardy and long-lived, spreading to upright perennial, Turk's Cap is an easy to grow heirloom that will flower in sun or light shade. An excellent nectar plant for hummingbirds as well as butterflies. Caterpillar host: Glassy Winged Skipper. Resistant to browsing by deer and moderately drought resistant once well-established. The ripe fruits are readily consumed by birds and other wildlife, along with the occasional curious human. Item# 691.

The large deep purplish red petals of Ruby Glow Passionflower are topped with a halo of deep bluish purple filaments. A heady sweet fragrance fills the air when this beautiful passionvine is in flower and it may produce very large, up to 3"W x 5"L, yellow tropical fruit if the flowers are cross pollinated by another species, cultivar, or seedling passionflower. Ruby Glow is a vigorous growing, heat loving tropical vine that can reach 20'H under good conditions. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 631.

Spikes of deep red upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the rich glossy deep green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. San Antonio Red Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small and tough enough for container culture but it also makes a low-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Caterpillar host: Crimson Patch Item# 10034

Forget those brittle old fall mums that need pinching and special treatment! Deep indigo, dense, fully double flowers are produced over an extended period in late summer and fall atop neat compact naturally rounded plants with deep green foliage. Forget about the throw away garden mums for fall, find an aster instead! Showmakers® Blue Bayou Dwarf New York Aster or Michaelmas Daisy, a selection of Aster novi-belgii or now Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, is a dense dwarf, hardy, clump-forming, native herbaceous perennial that develops into a neat rounded mass of flowers and foliage to about 12" high and wide with no pinching required. These were developed with container culture in mind but are sure to make statement in the garden or landscape as well. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in an average moist, average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Midday shade may be desirable in hot summer climates. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Images courtesy of Syngenta Flowers, all rights reserved. Item# 13165

Vibrant yellow and red flowers are borne from Spring to frost on an upright to spreading perennial. Raise Monarch Butterflies in your own backyard! The Monarchs migrate through our area just as the Asclepias begin to awaken in spring, just in time for the females to lay their eggs on the new growth. Caterpillar host: Queen and Monarch. Item # 3078.

The most vigorous growing of the Banana Magnolias or Banana Shrubs, Skinner's Banana Magnolia produces 1" long, sweetly banana scented, creamy yellow, cupped, miniature Magnolia flowers in spring and may produce some flowers until fall once mature. Still somewhat uncommon in the nursery trade, this small but vigorous evergreen tree or large shrub has a naturally upright to pyramidal habit with dark green glossy foliage. Skinner's Banana Magnolia makes a wonderful specimen, hedge, screen, or can easily be trained into a tree form. Caterpillar host: Western Tiger Swallowtail. Item# 646.

The Smith Fig is an heirloom Louisiana variety that was introduced by Becnel Nursery near New Orleans, Louisiana. It produces large yellow fruit with a sweet red flesh. A drop of honeydew exudes from the eye which minimizes spoiling and makes Becnel's Smith Fig a choice variety for southeastern gardens. Caterpillar host: Ruddy Daggerwing. Image courtesy of F. Carter. Item# 9910

This low growing, mat forming perennial covers up in 1/2" wide white daisies with yellow eyes in late summer and fall attracting bees and smaller pollinators. Snow Flurry White Heath Aster, a selection ofSymphyotrichum ericoides , is a 4-8" high, sprawling, groundcovering selection of this normally 3' high native perennial with dark green narrow heath or juniper like foliage. This species is found most commonly throughout much of the central US as well as into the northeastern and northwestern regions. Provide this easy perennial with a full to mostly sunny site and well-drained, semi-dry soils. 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# 12246

Vibrant red, single, tropical Hibiscus flowers bring elegance and poise to the chaos of color brought on by the brilliantly variegated foliage which is randomly splashed in shades of rosy pink, white, and green. The tropical effect created by Snow Queen's foliage and flowers is sure to bring a cool fire to any tropical setting while the red flowers attract Hummingbirds, Sulphur butterflies, and other pollinators. Snow Queen Hibiscus is a vigorous and easy to grow Tropical Hibiscus with an upright to spreading habit and easy enough to train into standards. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 9392

A low growing, clump forming to slowly spreading perennial the Southern Prairie Aster produces 1" wide, medium purple to lighter pinkish purple daisies with a yellow eye atop sturdy upright to arching stems beginning in late summer and lasting into fall. This is another Aster that is native to sandy dryer upland soils and so is somewhat drought resistant once well-established. Excellent for native pollinators.Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady.  Item# 10694.

The large maple-like foliage is broadly edged in bright creamy white and provide a nice backdrop to the orange veined Chinese lantern-like, 2" long flowers. Souvenir de Bonn Variegated Abutilon is a vigorous upright growing Flowering Maple that makes an easy to grow addition to tropical settings or as an indoor plant (this is a type of heirloom Abutilon that was once called a Parlor Maple).  Easily reaches 6-8' high if allowed to.Item# 11318

Clusters of 1" orange tubular blooms are born throughout much of the year where protected from frost and freezes or it acts as a die-back perennial in the northern portions of its range. Shade and drought tolerant, deer resistant, and a favorite of Hummingbirds, how can you go wrong with Spicy Justicia? It flowers in sun or shade, though plants may be healthiest and most floriferous when grown with afternoon or midday shade, in well-drained, average moist, moderately fertile soils. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Item# 654.

Dainty, nectar-rich, late winter to midspring, greenish white flowers are followed by sweet, clear orange, 3/8" diameter berries with a flavor reminiscent of cantaloupe ripen in fall. Like all of our native Hackberry species, the Spiny Hackberry, Celtis pallida or C. ehrenbergiana, is an important host plant for the Hackberry butterflies (American Snout, Cuban Snout, Empress Leilia, Dusky Emperor, Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor, etc...) as well as the Red-Bordered Metalmark. The ripe fruit are devoured by a variety of birds and other wildlife. Human nibblers should be aware that the fruit does contain a large pit. The Spiny or Desert Hackberry develops into a large shrub or small tree that seems to prefer average moist soils but as the name implies it is quite drought tolerant once well-established. Item# 10682

Lavender trumpets with white throats may be produced throughout the growing season, or nearly year round in mild winter climates, in spike-like clusters and nicely complement the creamy white to soft buttery yellow and green variegated, rounded foliage. The Ganges Primrose is a naturally evergreen (in frost-free climates), groundcover-like, mounding and spreading, shrub-like perennial. Use as a non-aggressive groundcover in the garden or filler in containers. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Item# 11049

The large pink, white, and rose colored flowers are set against a foil of starkly contrasting near black, maple-like foliage of this hardy Hibiscus. Starry Starry Night Hibiscus has some of the darkest foliage of any of the new cultivars of perennial Hibiscus and the light colored flowers definitely stand out dramatically! This Walter's Gardens introduction was selected not only for its amazing foliage and flowers but also for the fact that it flowers from the top to the bottom of the naturally rounded plants unlike some of the older cultivars. Provide a moist, fertile soil in a full to mostly sunny position. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Image courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11419

Clusters of sunny yellow, 2" long, tubular flowers are produced in late winter or early spring and continue through summer and into fall attracting mainly hummingbirds but potentially other pollinators. Sulphurea Coral Honeysuckle, an older yellow selection of Lonicera sempervirens, is a native, semi-evergreen to deciduous, twining woody vine growing to about 8-12' high and is cloaked in bluish-green foliage. Flowers are followed by 1/4"' diameter bright red berries that are a treat for songbirds. The more restrained habit of these Honeysuckles make them low maintenance selections well suited to arbors, posts, trellises, and fences. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Item # 1075

Rare and Unusual! The large 7-10" wide dark magenta flowers are held against contrasting variegated deep green foliage that is edged in a narrow band of white and pink and even the buds are intrestingly striped in green and white. Summer Carnival Hardy Hibiscus is a rare variegated form of Perennial Hibiscus flowering from summer into early fall with a compact branching habit. This is sure to be a fun plant 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# 12068

Huge, intense deep pink flowers with a deep burgundy eye are held against the deep green, maple-like foliage in summer on a full rounded plant that flowers from top to bottom. Summer In Paradise Hibiscus is a hardy perennial Hibiscus that is sure to make a statement in the summer garden. These Hibiscus also make great additions to bog gardens and moist areas. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in a moist rich garden soil. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11418

The newest color in the SUMMERIFIC® series! The summerlong display of large, 7-8" wide, ruffled and textured, lilac colored flowers with good substance are set against a backdrop of rich green, maple-like foliage all on a heavy flowering well-branched plant. Flowers may be deepest purple under cooler conditions. SUMMERIFIC® Lilac Crush Perennial or Hardy Hibiscus is a vigorous clump-forming perennial that develops into a full, rounded, slightly more upright growing, well-branched plant with exceptional flower power. Like most other Walter's Gardens introductions, SUMMERIFIC® Lilac Crush is an indeterminate plant producing flowers from the top to the bottom of the plants creating an amazing summer into fall 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# 12844

The large 7-8" wide white to light pink flowers are centered by a deep red eye that radiates outward along the veins of the petals and the light colored petals darken slightly at the outer edges and are a standout against the darkly contrasting deep maroon foliage. SUMMERIFIC® Perfect Storm Perennial Hibiscus flowers throughout summer and is an indeterminate type meaning that they flower all up and down the stems instead of just on the upper half of the plants creating a knockout display in the garden and landscape. It matures to about 3' high and spreads out to 4-5' wide at maturity. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in moist to average moist to wet, moderately fertile soils. Catepillar host: Gray hairstreak. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12192

The large 8" wide, ruffled and textured, white flowers are heavily overlaid with sweetly contrasting deep rosy pink and a large dark burgundy eye simply that simply shine against the foil of deep green foliage. SUMMERIFIC® Spinderella Perennial or Hardy Hibiscus is a vigorous clump-forming perennial that develops into a full, rounded, compact growing, well-branched plant with exceptional flower power. Like most other Walter's Gardens introductions, SUMMERIFIC® Spinderella is an indeterminate plant producing flowers from the top to the bottom of the plants creating an amazing summer into fall 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# 12845