Eight Must-Have Flowers to Attract Butterflies

Plant these eight butterfly magnets and watch your garden come alive with swallowtails, monarchs, fritillaries, and more.

1. Butterfly Weed (Milkweed, Asclepias) – Hardy perennial, orange/rose flowers, 2 ft. Host for monarchs; attracts red admiral, painted lady, cabbage white, western swallowtail.
2. Bee Balm (Monarda) – Delicate blooms, attracts checkered white butterfly.
3. Zinnia – Many colors; draws zebra longwing, cloudless sulphur, painted lady, silvery checkerspot.
4. Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) – Vanilla-scented pink heads, late summer. Magnet for anise, giant, zebra, black swallowtails; great & gulf fritillaries.
5. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) – Medicinal, hardy, low-care. Attracts wood nymph butterfly.
6. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) – Summer lilac, multiple colors. Top draw for pipevine, polydamus, spicebush swallowtails, red admirals.
7. Hollyhock (Alcea) – Tall biennial. Essential host for painted lady caterpillars.
8. Passion Flower (Passiflora) – Vine, host for zebra longwing & gulf fritillary caterpillars. Easy to grow.

Complete the Habitat

Add flat rocks for basking, muddy sand for drinking, and research which butterflies are native to your area. Trees like willows and oaks also host caterpillars. Avoid pesticides. Your flower garden will become a butterfly thoroughfare.