15 Native Flowers That Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

Nothing compares to watching a butterfly dance through a flower patch—flitting, diving on wind-carried scents, balancing on blooms to methodically sip nectar. But butterflies face immense pressure: habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, herbicides. It’s tough being a butterfly.

We can welcome and support them in home landscapes—even one aster makes a difference. Native plants are crucial: they support local wildlife and need less maintenance when properly sited. Here are 15 superb native flowers for butterflies, moths, and pollinators.

1. Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Native: eastern ND south to eastern TX, east to Atlantic (ME to northern FL). Mid-to-late spring bloom welcomes early-season pollinators (mainly small native bees). Year-round host for black swallowtails. Give room to spread by seed—impressive drifts attract butterflies from afar.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–8)
Water: Slightly dry to slightly moist
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–3 ft tall, 2 ft wide

See how to grow golden Alexanders

2. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Native in all states except WA, OR, CA (West Coasters: consider A. speciosa). Despite name, enjoys more than swamps—partly sunny, medium to slightly dry soil works. Milkweeds host monarchs, tussock moths, milkweed beetles/bugs. Most monarch egg-laying observed on swamp milkweed. Early-mid summer blooms emit spicy vanilla scent; complex pollination mechanism.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Moist to medium
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–4 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide

See how to grow swamp milkweed

3. Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)

Native in Rockies (northern NM to MT), IL, MO, NE, Dakotas, MN, WI. Smaller range than other blazing stars, but monarch nirvana. Bulb-like corms develop years before midsummer flower stalks. Mature plant has several stalks.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–7)
Water: Slightly dry to slightly moist
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 3–4 ft tall, 1 ft wide

See how to grow meadow blazing star

4. Prairie Blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya)

Native: eastern ND south to eastern TX, east from IN to MS. Highly attractive to adult butterflies, moths, bumblebees. Eastern tiger swallowtail shown feeding. Often sold with dense blazing star (L. spicata); both have white hybrids less attractive to pollinators.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Moist to medium
Light: Partial to full sun
Size: 3–6 ft tall, 1 ft wide

5. Sweet Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

Native: SD to OK, east from ME to FL. Most available Joe Pye species. Full sun: medium to somewhat moist soil; part shade: medium soil (shorter, fewer blooms). Tropical-looking foliage; hollow stems left 2–3 ft in spring house bees. Slowly forms dense, stout clump.

Hardiness: −30°F / −34.4°C (Zones 4–9)
Water: Moist to medium
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 5–7 ft tall, 3–4 ft wide

See how to grow sweet Joe Pye weed

Tiger swallowtails especially love Joe Pye weed; diverse butterflies, moths, bees visit.

6. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Native: ND south to TX, east from ME to FL. Doesn’t set bones (early pioneer myth), but supports pollinators. Like Joe Pye, attracts diverse butterflies to midsummer blooms. Host for several moth species. Needs consistent moisture for best flower show.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–8)
Water: Moist to medium
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–4 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide

See how to grow boneset

7. Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)

Native: MT south to NM, all points east (MA to GA). Goldenrods = best group for adult pollinators. Sticky, heavy pollen—not airborne—doesn’t cause hay fever (ragweed does). Drought-tolerant, prefers consistent moisture. Tall stems = ideal butterfly perches, even after early-autumn flowers fade. Hosts many moth species—supports large food webs.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–8)
Water: Slightly moist to dry
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 3–4 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide

See how to grow stiff goldenrod

8. Tall Tickseed (Coreopsis tripteris)

Native: central/southern Great Plains to Southeast and central East Coast. Any native Coreopsis works; tall coreopsis adds architectural interest without blocking views. Slowly spreads by runners into stout colonies. Long mid-to-late summer bloom = constant nectar for butterflies, pollen for bees. Spring stalks house carpenter bees. Moths feed on leaves and petals.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–8)
Water: Slightly dry to slightly moist
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 5–8 ft tall, 3–6+ ft wide

See how to grow tall tickseed

9. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Native: NE south to TX, all east (VT to FL); primary range Midwest/eastern Great Plains. Everyone plants it—because creatures visit: bees, beetles, wasps, butterflies. Pipevine swallowtail shown. Other coneflowers: pale purple (E. pallida), Tennessee purple (E. tennesseensis).

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Slightly dry to slightly moist
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–3 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide

10. Baldwin’s Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii)

Native: SD to CO to TX, east from IL to LA. Unique among ironweeds for shorter stature and drought tolerance. All attract butterflies, long-tongued bees; Baldwin’s hosts some moths. Any soil—clay to rocky sand—works.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Medium to dry
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 3–5 ft tall, 2–4 ft wide

11. Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

Native almost everywhere except CA. Like goldenrods, asters are pollinator powerhouses. Smooth aster attracts large numbers/diversity in early-mid fall; butterflies: smaller species (admirals, skippers, sulfurs, crescents—pearl crescents host on it). Adaptable; long blue leaves add smooth texture.

Hardiness: −30°F / −34.4°C (Zones 4–8)
Water: Slightly moist to slightly dry
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–4 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide

See how to grow smooth aster

12. Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

Native: eastern MT to NM, east from PA to AL. Favorite aster: shrubby, blooms late into autumn, shrugs off drought. Prefers rocky soil but great in clay. Host for silvery checkerspot butterfly. Late-autumn bloom critical for insects completing nesting and migrating butterflies.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Dry to medium
Light: Partial to full sun
Size: 1–2 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide

See how to grow aromatic aster

13. Prairie Sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris)

Native: WI to MO, west through TX and Dakotas to NV, AZ; not Pacific NW. Magical: copious pollen/nectar—including extrafloral nectar on bloom backs and stems. Annual, self-sows in open, low-competition areas.

Hardiness: Annual; −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–9)
Water: Dry to medium
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 2–4 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide

See how to grow prairie sunflower

14. Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Native: eastern North America (ND south to OK, east to GA south, ME north); also Canada (ON, QC). Sunflower cousin does more than welcome butterflies. Stems = bee homes; large leaves form cups around stem collecting water for birds/insects. Tall—great for butterfly basking on cool mornings/evenings.

Hardiness: −40°F / −40°C (Zones 3–8)
Water: Slightly moist to medium
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 3–10 ft tall, 5 ft wide

See how to grow cup plant

15. Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa)

Native: WI south to AL, east to Carolinas and New England. Primary visitors: masses of bumblebees (not butterflies sipping nectar). But countless sulfur butterfly eggs observed. Point: we need plants that grow butterflies from egg to wing, not just pretty flowers. Wild senna and Maryland senna (S. marilandica) are adaptable, stout, long-blooming (almost a month in midsummer).

Hardiness: −30°F / −34.4°C (Zones 4–8)
Water: Moist to slightly dry
Light: Full to partial sun
Size: 4–6 ft tall, 3–5 ft wide

See how to grow wild senna