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Butterfly Garden

The passion vines (passiflora species) are famous for providing the Gulf Fritillary caterpillars plenty of food.  And the Monarch Butterfly has a special relationship with milkweed.  The list of nectar plants for butterfly adults to feed upon is lengthy and often very specific to the kind of butterfly that will come to feed.  

A courtyard or enclosed space can provide a still environment so the wind does not wreck havoc with the movement of the butterflies.  A south facing wall will warm the air and allow for an extended day of flight for your butterflies.  

It is fascinating to watch a butterfly flit through a garden.  It seems like they have no preferred destination at all.  But they will almost always alight on the same kinds of plants.

Easy gardening nectar plants include Eriogonum species, Salvia species, Ceanothus species, and Lupine Species.  The list of plants that butterflies will visit is not even close to being complete.  Butterflies will visit many other plants.  The ones on the list are particularly noted for attracting the following butterflies.

Abelia grandiflora ~ Monarch Butterfly

Achillea cerise queen ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea clavennae ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea kellereri ~  Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea moonshine ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea paprika ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea salmon beauty ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea terracotta ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Achillea tomentosa ~ Variable Checkerspot, Hairstreaks

Agastache aurantiaca apricot sunrise ~ Monarch Butterfly, Western Tiger Swallowtail

Althea rosea~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot, Hairstreaks, Painted Lady

Alyogyne ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot, Hairstreaks, Painted Lady

Amaranthus ~ Mournful Duskywing

Amorpha californica ~ California Dogface

Amsinkia ~ Painted Lady

Antirrhinum multiflorum ~ Common Buckeye

Aquilegia formosa ~ Sphinx Moth

Arbutus unedo ~ Monarch Butterfly

Arctostaphylos Howard McMinn ~ Monarch Butterfly

Asclepias californica ~ Monarch Butterfly

Asclepias cordifolia ~ Monarch Butterfly

Asclepias eriocarpa ~ Monarch Butterfly, Painted Lady, Tarantula Hawk

Asclepias fascicularis ~ Monarch Butterfly, Painted Lady

Asclepias liniaria ~ Monarch Butterfly

Asclepias speciosa ~ Monarch Butterfly

Ascelpias tuberosa ~ Monarch Butterfly

Aster ~ Common Buckeye

Baccharis pilularis ~ Common Buckeye

Beloperone californica ~ Painted Lady

Buddleia asiatica ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddleia Black Knight ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddleia Harlequin ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddleia Lochinch ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddliea Nanho Purple ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddleia Pink Delight ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Buddleia Honeycomb ~ Red Admiral, Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak

Ceanothus ~ California tortoise shell, California hairstreak

Centaurea gymnocarpa ~ Painted Lady, Monarch Butterfly

Cassia artemesioides ~ Marine Blue, Sulfur

Ceanothus ~ Spring Azure

Cercis occidentalis ~ Mormon Metalmark, Mournful Duskywing, Muir's Hairstreak

Cirsium ~ Common Buckeye

Collinsia heterophylla ~ Variable Checkerspot, Spring Azure

Dodecatheon clevelandii ~ Gray Blue, Arctic Blue

Duranta erecta ~ Summer nectar source

Echinacea purpurea ~ Summer nectar source

Echinacea Sunset ~ Summer nectar source

Encelia californica ~ Common Buckeye,  Monarch Butterfly 

  Erigeron  Bountiful ~ Painted Lady, California Dogface, Common Buckeye

Erigeron karvinskianaus ~ Painted Lady, California Dogface, Common Buckeye

Erigeron Sea Breeze ~ Painted Lady, California Dogface, Common Buckeye

Erigeron Wayne Roderick ~ Painted Lady, California Dogface, Common Buckeye

Eriodictyon crassifolium ~ Checkerspots, Common Buckeye, Swallowtails and more

Eriogonum arboresens ~ Spring Azure, Hairstreaks

Eriogonum crocatum ~ Spring Azure, Hairstreaks

Eriogonum grande rubescens ~ Spring Azure, Hairstreaks

Eriogonum fasciculatum ~ Mormon Metalmark, Mournful Duskywing, Spring Azure, Hairstreaks

Eriogonum incanum ~ Hairstreaks

Foeniculum vulgare ~ Anise Swallowtail

Gnaphalium californicum ~ Painted Lady

Hibiscus ~ Common Hairstreak, Fiery Skipper

Lantana  ~ California Dogface, Monarch Butterfly, Fiery Skipper

Lavandula dentata ~ Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Sara Orangetip

Lavandula dentata candicans ~ Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Sara Orangetip

Lavandula Goodwin Creek Grey ~ Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Sara Orangetip

Lavandula multifida ~ Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Sara Orangetip

Lavandula provence ~ Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Sara Orangetip

Lavatera assurgentiflora ~ Painted Lady, Fiery Skipper

Lavatera Barnsley ~ Painted Lady, Fiery Skipper

Lavatera bicolor ~ Painted Lady, Fiery Skipper

Lobelia laxiflora ~ Western Tiger Swallowtail

Lonicera japonica purpurea ~ Great Ash Sphinx Moth

Lupinus bicolor ~ Blue's and Hairstreaks, Orange Sulphur

Lupinus succulentus ~ West Coast Lady, Orange Sulphur

Malacothamnus fasciculatus ~ Late Spring and Summer nectar source

Mimulus aurantiacus ~ Common Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot

Mimulus flemingii ~ Common Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot

Mimulus puniceus ~ Common Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot

Mimulus Ruby Silver ~ Common Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot

Monarda didyma ~ Gulf Fritillary

Monardella ~ Red Admiral, Monarch Butterfly, Swallowtail, Painted Lady, California Dogface

Nepeta faassenii ~ Fiery Skipper

Passiflora alata ~ Gulf Fritillary

Passiflora caerulea ~ Gulf Fritillary

Penstemon apple blossom ~ Checkerspot

Penstemon heterophyllus ~ Checkerspot

Pentas lanceolata ~ Western Tiger Swallowtail

Perovskia atriplicifolia ~ Fiery Skipper

Phyla nodiflora ~ Common Buckeye,  larval food for Crescent Butterflies

Platanus racemosa ~ Western Tiger Swallowtail

Plumbago auriculata ~ Marine Blue, Red Admiral

Prunus ilicifolia ~ Pale Swallowtail, Western Tiger Swallowtail

Prunus ilicifolia lyonii ~ Pale Swallowtail, Western Tiger Swallowtail

Quercus agrifolia ~ California Sister

Salix lasiolepis ~ Western Tiger Swallowtail, Mourning Cloak, Viceroy, Red Admiral

Salvia Allen Chickering ~ Checkerspots, California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper

Salvia brandegeei ~ Checkerspots, California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper

Salvia clevelandii ~ Checkerspots, California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper

Salvia leucantha ~ Checkerspots, California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper

Salvia mellifera ~ Checkerspots, California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Fiery Skipper

Salvia microphylla ~ California Dogface, Gulf Fritillary

Salvia uliginosa ~ Mournful Duskywing

Scabiosa caucasica ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot

Scabiosa columbaria ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot

Scabiosa cretica ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot

Scabiosa farinosa ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot

Scabiosa ochroleuca ~ Fiery Skipper, Checkerspot

Sidalcea malvaeflora ~ Larval food for blues, Spring Azure

Sphaeralcea ambigua ~ Painted Lady, Fiery Skipper

Solidago californica ~ Monarch Butterfly, Painted Lady

Trichostema lanatum ~ California Dogface, Monarch Butterfly, Western Tiger Swallowtail

Vaccinium ~ Sulpher, Spring Azure

Verbena bonariensis ~ Gulf Fritillary

Verbena rigida ~ Gulf Fritillary