The Cockrell Butterfly Center Guide to
Butterfly Gardening in Houston



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Even though this list is targeted to the Houston, TX area, many plants on the list grow well in other places of the country. Some that are considered perennial in the Houston Zone 9 area will grow as colorful, summer annuals in colder parts of the US. Many of the plants are can be purchased from The Herb Cottage Butterfly Plants selection.


It is easy to attract butterflies to your home garden by providing them with a few simple needs. If you have a sunny sheltered spot in your yard, try planting a few of these favorite nectar sources for adult butterflies. Remember that big masses of color are more attractive to butterflies than scattered small clumps. Don't forget to provide a little pool of water or a birdbath for the butterflies.

NECTAR PLANTS FOR BUTTERFLIES

Common Name

Botanical Name

Flower Color
Asters Aster spp.* Pink, purple, lavender, white
Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia spp.* Yellow
Blazing star Liatris spp.* Lavender
Butterfly bush Buddleia davidii Purple, lavender, white
Butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa* Yellow
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis* Cream
Cone flower, Purple cone flower Echinacea purpurea* Dark pink
Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus* Yellow, orange
Flame bush Hamelia patens Red-orange (good for hummingbirds, too!)
Golden dewdrop Duranta repens Lavender
Goldenrod Solidago spp.* Yellow
Ironweed Vernonia spp.* Purple, pink
Jatropha, Peregrina Jatropha integerrima Red, pink
Joe Pye weed Eupatorium spp.* Pink, blue, lavender, white
Lantana Lantana horrida, L. montevi-densis, Lantana spp.*,† Yellow, orange, white, pink, lavender, and combinations
Mexican flame-vine Senecio confusus Orange
Mexican heather Cuphea hyssopifolia Lavender
Mexican milkweed Asclepias curassavica Red-orange and yellow
Mexican sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia Orange
Mist flower Ageratum houstonianum* Blue
Pentas, Star cluster, Egyptian star flower Pentas lanceolata Red, pink, lavender, white
Phlox Phlox spp.* Purple, pink, red, white
Pink candle celosia Celosia cristata Pink and white
Porter weed Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Purple, blue, coral
Salvia (some species) Salvia spp.* Red, pink, lavender, blue
Verbena Verbena spp. (several species available)* Purple, lavender, blue, red, pink, white
Zinnia Zinnia elegans Yellow, orange, red, pink, white
*is a native or genus includes native species
†Lantana camara also works, but is considered an invasive.

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Female butterflies are at least as interested in finding a place to lay their eggs as they are in finding food to eat. So, if you can share some of your garden plants with hungry caterpillars, you will have even more butterflies in your yard! Most caterpillars eat only a very limited range of plants, so planting the right "hostplants" or food plants is important--and you do not have to worry that they will spread to other plants. Also, because some caterpillars eat weeds and native grasses, leaving a patch of wild, unmowed vegetation will help attract butterflies.
FOOD PLANTS FOR BUTTERFLIES

Butterfly species

Food plant for its caterpillar stage
Black swallowtail Dill, parsley, anise, fennel, carrots, rue
Giant swallowtail Citrus, rue, money or hop tree, prickly ash
Spicebush swallowtail Camphor tree, spicebush, sweet bay, red bay, sassafras, tulip tree
Pipevine swallowtail Dutchman's pipevine
Cloudless sulphur Senna, partridge pea
Little sulphur Partridge pea
Sleepy sulphur Senna, partridge pea
Cabbage butterfly (sometimes considered a pest!) Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi
Monarch Milkweeds
Queen Milkweeds
Gulf fritillary Passionflower vines
Zebra longwing (rare in our area) Passionflower vines
Viceroy Cottonwood, poplar, willow
Red-spotted purple Willow, cottonwood, black cherry
Red admiral Nettles, false nettle
Buckeye Plantain, snapdragon
Painted lady Hollyhock, thistles
Pearl crescent Aster
Texas crescent Shrimp plant, dicliptera, ruellia
Hackberry butterfly Hackberry
Tawny emperor Hackberry
Snout butterfly Hackberry
Question mark Hackberry, elm
Goatweed butterfly Goatweed (Croton spp.)
Giant purple hairstreak Mistletoe
Gray hairstreak Various legumes

There are a number of excellent books on native butterflies and on butterfly gardening. The following are a few of our favorites:

Ajilvski, G. 1990. Butterfly gardening for the South. Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX. 342 pp. (about $35.00)
Mitchell, R.T., and H.S. Zim. 1987. Butterflies and moths: a golden guide. Golden Press, New York, NY. 160 pp. (about $7.00)
Stokes, D., Stokes, L., and E. Williams. 1991. The butterfly book: an easy guide to butterfly gardening, identification, and behavior. Little, Brown and Co., New York, NY. 96 pp. (about $12.00)
Tveten, J., and G. Tveten. 1996. Butterflies of Houston and southeast Texas. University of Austin Press, Austin, TX. 292 pp.. (about $40.00)


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