Native Plants for Butterflies
Here is a list of the more common butterflies and their native host and nectar plants.
If a plant is a caterpillar host plant, this means you will see caterpillars eating the leaves. Do not fret, they will not kill your plant, and the result will
be a butterfly. Be sure you also have plants nearby to feed the adult butterfly once it emerges.
All the plants listed below are available at Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery. All plants are nursery propagated, we do not collect from the wild.
| Butterfly | Caterpillar Host Plant | Butterfly Nectar Source |
| American Painted Lady | Everlasting | Aster, Dogbane, Goldenrod, Mallow, |
| American Snout | Hackberry | Aster, amsonia, Dogwood, Goldenrod, Pepperbush |
| Anise Swallowtail | Joe Pye Weed | |
| Baltimore Checkerspot | Turtlehead | Milkweed, Viburnum, Wild Rose |
| Black Swallowtail | Aster, Joe Pye Weed, Milkweed | |
| Clouded Sulphur | Goldenrod, cardinal flower, hibiscus | |
| Comma | Elm, Black Birch, Alder, Rhododendron | |
| Common Checkered Skipper | Hibiscus | Red Clover |
| Common Sulphur | Aster, Amsonia, Goldenrod | |
| Common Wood-nymph | Purpletop Grass | Purple Coneflower |
| Coppermark | New Jersey Tea | |
| Eastern Tailed Blue | Amsonia | |
| Falcate Orangetip | Strawberry, Violet | |
| Giant Swallowtail | Prickly Ash | Joe Pye Weed, Goldenrod, Swamp Milkweed |
| Gorgone Checkerspot | Sunflower | Sunflower, Goldenrod |
| Hairstreak, Western, Green, Turquoise and Buckthorn | New Jersey Tea | |
| Gray Hairstreak | Hibiscus | |
| Great Spangled Fritillary | Violet | Black-eyed Susan, Milkweed, Ironweed, Buttonbush |
| Greater Fritillary | Violet | Joe Pye Weed, Buttonbush |
| Gulf Fritillary | Passion-vine | Joe Pye Weed, Buttonbush |
| Hackberry Emperor | Hackberry | |
| Little Glassywing | Purpletop Grass | Amsonia, Zinnia |
| Little Yellow | Aster, Goldenrod | |
| Monarch | Milkweed | Amsonia |
| Mottled DuskyWing | New Jersey Tea | |
| Mourning Cloak | Elm, Poplar, Birch, Wild Rose | Milkweed, Amsonia |
| Northern Zig-Zag Fritillary | Bearberry | Buttonbush |
| Orange Sulphur | Aster, Verbena | |
| Orange Tip Admiral | New Jersey Tea | |
| Painted Lady | Thistle, Daisy, Mallow/Hollyhock, Burdock | Aster |
| Pearl Crescent | Aster | Amsonia |
| Pipevine Swallowtail | Dutchman's Pipe | |
| Queen | Milkweed | Milkweed |
| Question Mark | Hackberry, Elm, Linden/Basswood | Aster, Milkweed, Sweet Pepperbush |
| Red Admiral | Sedum, Aster, Goldenrod, Hibiscus. Milkweed | |
| Red-banded Hairstreak | Bayberry, Sumacs | |
| Red-spotted Purple | Black Cherry,Poplar | Poplar |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | Amsonia | |
| Silvery Checkerspot | Sunflower | Phlox |
| Sleepy Orange | Aster | |
| Spicebush Swallowtail | Spicebush, Sassafras | Amsonia, Joe Pye Weed |
| Spring Azure | Dogwood, Viburnum, New Jersey Tea, Blueberry, Ninebark | Wild Cherry, Dogwood, Holly, New Jersey Tea, Common Milkweed |
| Tawny Emperor | Hackberry | |
| Tiger Swallowtail | Black Cherry, Birch, New Jersey Tea, | Joe Pye Weed,Buttonbush |
| Variegated Fritillary | Violet, Passion Vine | Joe Pye Weed, Buttonbush |
| Viceroy | Goldenrod, Milkweed | |
| Western Tortoise Shell | New Jersey Tea | |
| White Admiral | Birch, Honeysuckle | |
| Zabulon Skipper | Purpletop Grass | Milkweed, Buttonbush |
| Zebra Longwing | Passion-vine | Verbena |
| Zebra Swallowtail | Pawpaw | Amsonia, Joe Pye Weed, Blueberry |
For a list of butterfly species in PA, see this link