Butterflies are a welcome addition to any landscape. If you aren't seeing as many butterflies as you'd like in your garden, it may be because you don't have the right plants.
Every species of butterfly needs two types of plants. Host plants are where butterflies lay their eggs. Upon hatching, the caterpillars feed on the plant until it is time to form a chrysalis and transform into a butterfly. Nectar plants are those that feed adult butterflies. For a healthy butterfly population, you need both host and nectar plants.
A great reference guide for host and nectar plants is Butterflies of North Texas: A Guide to Common & Notable Species. This pocket-sized, waterproof guide features color photos in a side-by-side format that beautifully illustrates over 80 species of butterflies and most of their caterpillars found in northern Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
This Shades of Green Shopping Guide, provides our Top 10 picks of best Perennials for Butterflies. 9 of these are nectar plants that will feed nearly all species of butterfly. 1 is a host plant. All are native to Texas and all are perennials, plants that go dormant in winter, but return year after year. They are listed by size, shortest to tallest.
All of these plants, along with other great native and adapted perennials, may be found at Shades of Green Nursery + Landscape! (Availability varies by season and demand. Plants may not be in-stock at the time of your visit.)
Our Top 10 Native Perennials for Butterflies:
Blackfoot Daisy - Melampodium leucanthum
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial hardy in Zone 5-11
• Grows 6-12 inches tall x 24 inches wide
• Plant in full sun. Loves hot, dry conditions but DOES NOT like wet feet!
• Extreme heat and drought tolerance
• Masses of honey-scented, small, white blooms with yellow centers spring through fall
Click here to see our video about Blackfoot Daisy.
Prairie Verbena - Verbena bipinnatifida / Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida
• Native Texas perennial groundcover
• 4-6 inches tall x 12-24 inches wide
• Plant in full to part sun
• Pale purple / pink flowers bloom spring through fall
• Very prolific blooming groundcover
• Drought tolerant
• Hardy in Zone 6-10
Butterfly Weed - Asclepias tuberosa
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 2 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun in well-drained soil
• Host plant for Queen, Grey Hairstreak, and Monarch butterflies
• Orange blooms in summer
• Also known as Butterfly Milkweed
• Hardy in Zone 3-9
Click here to see our video about Butterfly Weed
Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• 18-36 inches tall x 12-18 inches wide
• Plant in full sun to part shade
• Large, rose-purple, daisy-like flowers bloom late spring to mid-summer
• Attracts butterflies & re-seeds freely
• Hardy in Zones 3-9
Zexmenia - Wedelia texana / Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 2-3 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun, part sun, or part shade
• Prefers hot & dry conditions
• Yellow-orange flowers late spring to fall
• Great for pollinators
• Hardy in Zone 7-10
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• 18-30 inches tall x 18-24 inches wide depending on cultivar
• Plant in part full sun
• Clusters of blooms atop low foliage all summer. Colors include white, yellows, reds, and pinks.
• Prefers well-drained soil
• Attracts bees & butterflies
• Hardy in Zone 3-8
Aromatic Aster - Aster oblongifolius / Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 1-3 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun. Heat tolerant.
• Blooms late summer to fall
• Fall nectar source for butterflies
• Can become top heavy – prune in June for fuller, studier look in fall
• Hardy in Zones 3-8
Click here to see our video about Aromatic Aster.
Gregg's Blue Mistflower - Conoclinium (Eupatorium) greggii
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 1-2 feet tall and spreads by rhizomes (can be invasive!)
• Plant in full to part sun
• Lavender-blue flowers bloom all summer and into fall and attract butterflies like crazy, especially Queen butterflies
• Hardy in Zones 7-10
Click here to see our video about Gregg's Blue Mistflower.
Black-Eyed Susan - Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldstrum’
• Native Texas herbaceous perennial
• Grows 24-30 inches tall & wide
• Plant in full sun in soil with good drainage
• Blooms summer through fall
• Attracts butterflies and birds
• Hardy in Zone 3-9
Click here to see our video about Black-Eyed Susan.
Texas Lantana - Lantana horrida / Lantana urticoides
• Native Texas deciduous perennial
• Grows 3-6 feet tall & wide
• Plant in full sun
• Red, orange, yellow blooms all summer
• Very heat & drought tolerant
• Attracts butterflies, bees, & birds
• Hardy in Zones 8-11
Click here to see our video about Texas Lantana.
Click here for a downloadable PDF.
Videos
The Shades of Green Show: Top Native Perennials for Butterflies (video coming soon!)
