You can enjoy the delicate beauty of butterflies in your own yard by planting a colorful flower garden. Many plants developed showy and colorful flowers to attract insects for pollination. Their bright colors are bold advertising banners signaling the presence of nectar rewards to nourish adult butterflies.
Butterflies are attracted to red, orange, yellow, pink and purple. Many flowers have additional light patterns in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, which are visible to bees and butterflies but not humans. These floral patterns accent the flower center and are called nectar guides; they’re like airport runway lights.
A significant number of butterfly species are present during late spring in North Dakota. Spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs, spireas, dogwoods and chokecherries provide good early season sources of nectar. Also good are allium and chives. Even lawn weeds such as dandelions can be a nutrition source for these early butterflies.
In Table 1, nectar-producing perennials are listed for your garden by season. Native plants usually are preferable because they have evolved in conjunction with native butterflies. However, many non-native plants also will provide much-needed nectar.
Table 1. Nectar-producing perennials to attract adult butterflies.
Common Name
|
Botanical Name
|
Native or Ornamental
|
Notes
|
Late Spring/Early Summer Flowering Perennials
|
Allium
|
Allium spp.
|
Ornamental
|
Plants come from bulbs
|
Chives
|
Allium schoenoprasum
|
Ornamental
|
Edible herb with attractive purple flowers
|
Golden Alexander
|
Zizia aurea
|
Native
|
Bright golden clusters of flowers resemble dill
|
Pinks
|
Dianthus spp.
|
Ornamental
|
May bloom a second time if spent flowers are pruned
|
Mid-Summer Flowering Perennials
|
Anise hyssop
|
Agastache foeniculum
|
Native and ornamental selections available
|
Short-lived perennial but may self-seed; leaves smell like a cross between mint and licorice
|
Bee balm
|
Monarda spp.
|
Monarda fistulosa is native; many ornamental selections available
|
Use ornamental selections in a smaller landscape; native species can be aggressive in a smaller garden
|
Black-eyed Susan
|
Rudbeckia spp.
|
Three species native to North Dakota; many ornamental selections available
|
Butterflies like to land on the brown cones
|
Blazing stars
|
Liatris spp.
|
Four species native to North Dakota
|
Butterfly magnet; native species in this genus provide more nectar than ornamental species
|
Catmint
|
Nepeta x faassenii
|
Ornamental
|
This is different than catnip; great low-maintenance plant with purple flowers
|
Joe Pye weed
|
Eupatorium maculatum
|
One native species; many ornamental selections available
|
Does better in medium to moist soils
|
Phlox
|
Phlox paniculata
|
Ornamental
|
Chose a cultivar that is resistant to powdery mildew
|
Purple coneflower
|
Echinacea spp.
|
Echinacea angustifolia is native to North Dakota; many ornamental selections available
|
Don’t choose a plant that has more than a single row of petals circling the cone
|
Purple prairie clover
|
Dalea purpurea
|
Native
|
Great for drier soils
|
Russian sage
|
Perovskia atriplicifolia
|
Ornamental
|
Butterflies love purple-blue flowers
|
Sunflower
|
Helianthus spp.
|
Native
|
Many native perennial sunflower species are available
|
Fall Flowering Perennials
|
Golden rod
|
Solidago spp.
|
Many species native to North Dakota
|
Improved cultivar called ‘Fireworks’ is less aggressive than native species
|
New England aster
|
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
|
Native
|
Important fall source of nectar for bees and butterflies
|
Sedum
|
Sedum spectabile
|
Non-native
|
‘Autumn Joy’ is a very common cultivar; does best in well-drained soils
|
Sneezeweed
|
Helenium autumnale
|
One native species and many ornamental selections available
|
Don’t let the name fool you — it won’t make you sneeze; it has become a very trendy plant in recent years
|
Midsummer flowering perennials to plant in your garden include blazing stars (Figure 6), Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susans, phlox, purple coneflower, sunflowers, gaillardia (Figure 7), thistles and milkweeds, especially butterfly weed and bee balm (Figure 8). Butterflies prefer inflorescences that are flat-topped or provide a convenient landing pad, such as purple coneflower (Figure 9).
Figure 6. Monarchs feeding on Liatris ligulistylis, a blazing star that is native to North Dakota. Both native and ornamental blazing stars will attract butterflies.
Figure 7. Gaillardia is a midseason flower for attracting butterflies.
Figure 8. Bee balm is a midseason flower for attracting butterflies.
Figure 9. Purple coneflower (Echinacea) provides a convenient place for butterflies (Monarch) to land and feed.
When selecting coneflowers or other perennials, avoid purchasing overly hybridized cultivars in which extra petals have replaced the nectar-producing reproductive parts (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Avoid planting flowers in which extra petals have replaced the reproductive parts. This coneflower will not produce any nectar.
Make sure to include some fall-flowering perennials to feed the last of the butterflies. Asters, goldenrod and fall-blooming sedums (Table 1) help sustain the last wave of adult butterflies before winter arrives.
In addition to perennials, annuals or bedding plants flower for most of the summer and can provide a steady source of nectar through the whole summer. Favorite annual plants such as zinnia (Figure 11), cosmos and lantana attract butterflies in droves (Table 2). Annual sunflowers are also a good choice (Figure 12).
Figure 11. Zinnia with painted lady. Zinnia is a late-season flower for attracting butterflies.
Table 2. Top 12 Nectar-producing annuals to attract butterflies.
Common Name
|
Botanical Name
|
Notes
|
African marigold
|
Tagetes erecta
|
Taller than the French marigold
|
Ageratum
|
Ageratum houstonianum
|
Purplish-blue flowers
|
Blanket flower
|
Gaillardia x grandiflora
|
May self-sow for continuous supply
|
Cosmos
|
Cosmos bipinnatus
|
Easy to grow from seed
|
Flowering tobacco
|
Nicotiana alata
|
May attract hummingbirds depending on flower color
|
French marigold
|
Tagetes patula
|
Easy to germinate by seed
|
Heliotrope
|
Heliotropium arborescens
|
Wonderful sweet scent
|
Lantana
|
Lantana camara
|
Grows best in well-drained soils
|
Nasturtium
|
Tropaeolum majus
|
Very easy to grow
|
Pentas
|
Pentas lanceolata
|
Great star-shaped flowers
|
Verbena
|
Verbena spp.
|
Verbena bonariensis may self-seed prolifically the following year
|
Zinnia
|
Zinnia elegans
|
Comes in a wide range of colors and shapes
|
Figure 12. A painted lady is perched on a sunflower leaf.
No butterfly garden is complete without milkweed. Not only will milkweed provide a nectar source for many adult butterfly species, these plants are also a necessity for monarchs to complete their life cycle.
Adults lay their eggs on the milkweed leaves. The eggs hatch and the larvae consume the leaves as they proceed through five larval stages. Milkweeds such as Asclepias tuberosa (Figure 13), otherwise known as butterfly weed, are a popular choice because of the bright orange flowers. Butterfly weed is recommended for the drier, sandier soils of western North Dakota (Table 3).
Figure 13. Butterfly weed is an orange-flowered milkweed.
Table 3. Milkweeds for North Dakota.
Common Name
|
Botanical Name
|
Native or Not
|
Soils
|
Notes
|
Butterfly weed
|
Asclepias tuberosa
|
Not
|
Medium to dry soils
|
Attractive orange flowers; does not tolerate clay soils
|
Common milkweed
|
Asclepias syriaca
|
Native to eastern 2/3 of North Dakota
|
Adaptable to wide range of soils
|
Pink or lavender flowers; rhizomes may spread aggressively in home gardens
|
Prairie milkweed
|
Asclepias sullivantii
|
Native to Cass and Richland counties, N.D.
|
Adapted to heavier soils
|
Pink flowers; spreads slower than common milkweed
|
Showy milkweed
|
Asclepias speciosa
|
Native to most of North Dakota
|
Best in medium to dry soils
|
Has longer pink petals
|
Swamp milkweed
|
Asclepias incarnata
|
Native to eastern North Dakota
|
Best in moist soils
|
Rosy pink flowers; doesn’t tolerate drought
|
Whorled milkweed
|
Asclepias verticillata
|
Native to most of North Dakota
|
Medium to dry soils
|
White flowers
|
Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, may not be a good choice for a small home garden because it can spread aggressively by rhizomes. Only plant it if you have room for it to spread. Common milkweed is listed as a noxious weed in Cavalier, Renville, Sheridan, Traill and Wells counties. However, it is not listed on the North Dakota state noxious weed list.
Other attractive milkweeds that are less aggressive include prairie milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). These pink flowering plants are good choices for heavier soils. Please consult Table 3 to select a milkweed that matches your area’s soils and moisture levels.
In general, smaller, “shallower” flowers will attract smaller butterflies with shorter tongues; milkweeds and asters are beloved by hairstreaks and crescents. Bee balm are “deeper” flowers, which attract butterflies with longer tongues, such as painted ladies and swallowtails. Besides the plants mentioned here, almost any colorful, heavily scented flower is likely to be some butterfly’s favorite.