Butterflies and flowers were made for each other, and there are certain flowers that butterflies absolutely love to be around. As the poet pointed out, butterflies are flying flowers, and flowers are tethered butterflies.

In attracting butterflies to your garden, it’s important to understand what they want most out of life: nectar. The ancients, who believed that nectar fell directly from heaven, named it after the wines of the gods.

A butterfly’s wish list also includes sunny open spaces, shelter from the wind, and fresh water. They also look for host plants where they will lay their eggs (some butterfly species are fussier than others as to what plants are best); once the larvae hatch, the host plants will serve as food for the developing caterpillars. To encourage butterflies to your garden, it is good to include food for both young (host plants) and adults (nectar plants).

List of Plants That Attract Butterflies

For a nectar-rich flower border designed to attract adult butterflies, consider the plants listed below. Then invite a few butterflies over for a drink.
 

Common Name Latin Name Allium Allium Aster Aster Bee balm Monarda Butterfly bush Buddleia Catmint Nepeta Clove Pink Dianthus Cornflower Centaurea Daylily Hemerocallis False indigo Baptisia Fleabane Erigeron Floss flower Ageratum Globe thistle Echinops Goldenrod Solidago Helen’s flower Helenium Hollyhock Alcea Lavender Lavendula Lilac Syringa Lupine Lupinus Lychnis Lychnis Mallow Malva Milkweed Asclepias Mint Mentha Pansy Viola Phlox Phlox Privet Ligustrum Purple coneflower Echinacea Rock cress Arabis Sage Salvia Sea holly Eryngium Shasta daisy Chrysanthemum Snapdragon Antirrhinum Stonecrop Sedum Sweet alyssum Lobularia Sweet rocket Hesperis Tickseed Coreopsis Zinnia Zinnia

Enjoy more articles about butterflies below!

Source: 

Adapted from an article in The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Garden Wisdom