Plants & Flowers for Butterflies in Virginia
Many different species of butterflies are attracted to Virginia's native flowering plants. Butterflies use the nectar from flowering plants as a food source. Some also lay their eggs on certain flowering plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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The swamp milkweed plant Asclepias incarnata produces clusters of purple or rose-colored blossoms. The Asimina triloba, also known as the pawpaw tree, has six-petaled purple flowers, while the American wisteria, or wisteria frutescens vine, produces drooping clusters of bluish-purple or lilac-colored blossoms. Carpinus caroliana, or American hornbeam, is a small tree that produces green, red or brown blooms between March and May.
Benefits
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Swamp milkweed plants are larval hosts to queen and monarch butterflies. Pawpaw trees are larval hosts for the black and white zebra swallowtail butterfly. American wisteria plants support marine blue butterflies. American hornbeam acts as larval host and provides nectar for striped hairstreak, red-spotted purple and eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies.
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Considerations
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You may attract butterflies by replacing invasive plant species with local plant life. Avoid pesticides that may harm butterflies or their larvae. Plant species that flower at different times to provide a regular food source, and place plants in groups of three or more to provide better visibility to butterflies, University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm recommends.
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References
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