How to Start a Butterfly Garden (+ Monarch Waystations)
A butterfly garden can provide food for both adults and caterpillars. Nectar flowers attract feeding adults, while suitable host plants support their larvae. Adding milkweed, culinary herbs or violets can help particular butterflies breed in the landscape, but the right choices depend on which species occur locally. Planting hosts improves habitat; it does not guarantee that butterflies will arrive or complete every life stage in your yard.
This guide explains host plants for caterpillars and nectar plants for adults, including the cases where one plant provides both. It covers common butterfly–host relationships, seasonal flowers, monarch habitat, tropical milkweed concerns and care that protects insects. Start with the Plant Selection hub for related food-forest planting topics.
The short answer: Match host plants to local butterflies, provide nectar through their active season, and retain shelter. Milkweed supports monarch larvae; dill and parsley support black swallowtails; violets support great spangled fritillaries. Choose plants for local soil and light, use regionally appropriate milkweed, and prevent insecticide exposure of occupied habitat. Caterpillar-targeting Bt can harm butterfly larvae.
Table of Contents
Host Plants vs. Nectar Plants
Host plants feed caterpillars; nectar plants feed many adult butterflies. Some plants serve both roles. Many caterpillars have narrow diets, but others use several plant families. Identify the butterfly before assuming that a flower attractive to its adults can also feed its larvae.
Egg-laying behavior and larval diets differ among butterflies. Many females lay on host foliage, but some fritillaries lay near the plants their caterpillars will later eat. There are exceptions to plant feeding too: harvester caterpillars eat woolly aphids. For monarch habitat, provide appropriate milkweeds; unrelated nectar flowers cannot substitute for their larval food.
Adults also differ in their food preferences. Many visit nectar flowers, while others favor tree sap, fermenting fruit or other resources. A varied flower planting can support many species, but there is no universal nectar menu that suits every butterfly. Provide the host plants and shelter needed by the species you hope to support as well.
Host Plants by Butterfly
Choose hosts by butterfly species: milkweed for monarchs; dill, fennel or parsley for black swallowtails; spicebush or sassafras for spicebush swallowtails; violets for great spangled fritillaries; and thistles or mallows for painted ladies. These are examples, not interchangeable host lists for every member of a butterfly group.
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) use milkweeds as larval hosts; see the regional selection guidance below. Black swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes) use several carrot-family plants, including dill, fennel and parsley. Spicebush swallowtails (Papilio troilus) use spicebush and sassafras. Sassafras is a tree that can form thickets, so allow for its mature growth rather than treating it as a small understory shrub. Eastern tiger swallowtails use trees including tulip tree and wild black cherry. Match both the insect and the plant to your region.
Great spangled fritillaries and other greater fritillaries use violets (Viola). Choose suitable native violets for habitat, but do not generalize this diet to every butterfly called a fritillary: Gulf fritillaries use passionflowers. Painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) use a broad range of hosts, including thistles and mallows. American ladies (Vanessa virginiensis) are a different species, with hosts such as pussytoes, cudweeds and pearly everlasting. Use the correct host list for each. Our companion planting guide discusses overlapping uses of garden herbs.
Allow for caterpillar feeding when sizing a host planting. Holes in leaves are expected, and small herbs may be heavily eaten. The amount of damage varies; a completely stripped plant is not a requirement for a successful butterfly garden. Provide enough suitable foliage and check plant vigor, especially in young plantings.
Nectar Plants for Butterflies
Plan flowers for the months when butterflies are active locally. Combine suitable native plants with useful garden flowers, and include both larval hosts and nectar sources. Bloom seasons shift with region, species and weather.
Group flowers where space allows and stagger bloom times across the local butterfly season, including migration periods. The table gives starting options, not a complete host list. USDA ranges describe winter hardiness, not native range or suitability for every site. For entries labeled with a genus and “spp.,” select a named local species and check its own hardiness, soil and light needs. Use identified native thistles rather than substituting an invasive thistle. Also check regional restrictions and invasive-plant guidance for herbs: fennel is invasive in California, so choose other suitable host plants there.
Plant | USDA zones / life cycle | Bloom season | Butterflies attracted | Examples of garden use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring into early summer | ||||
| Wild violet (Viola spp.) | Varies by species | Spring; timing varies | Greater fritillaries; other visitors vary | Larval host; species such as common blue violet also provide nectar |
| Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) | 3–9 | Late spring–summer | Monarchs, swallowtails | Host + nectar |
| Summer bloomers | ||||
| Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | 3–8 | Summer | Swallowtails, painted ladies, fritillaries | Nectar |
| Bee balm (Monarda spp.) | Varies by species and cultivar | Often summer; species vary | Swallowtails, fritillaries | Nectar |
| Dill, fennel, parsley (herb bed) | Dill: annual; parsley: biennial; fennel: perennial where hardy | Foliage while growing; flowers when allowed to bolt | Black swallowtails | Larval host; flowers also support pollinators |
| Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) | Warm-season annual | Summer–fall until frost | Many nectar-feeding butterflies | Nectar |
| Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) | 3–9 | Summer | Monarchs | Host + nectar |
| Late summer & fall bloomers | ||||
| Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) | 4–9 | Late summer | Swallowtails, monarchs (migration fuel) | Nectar |
| New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) | 4–8 | Late summer–fall | Monarchs (migration fuel), painted ladies | Nectar |
| Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) | Varies by species | Often late summer–fall; species vary | Monarchs (migration fuel), many species | Nectar |
| Native thistle (Cirsium spp.) | Varies by regional native species | Varies by species; many bloom in summer or fall | Painted ladies; various nectar visitors | Host + nectar |
Include late-blooming flowers where autumn monarch migration occurs, and check actual local flowering dates. The Plant Selection hub offers related planting guides.
Monarchs and Milkweed
Monarch caterpillars need suitable milkweed, but choose it by local native range and habitat as well as winter hardiness. A species suitable for one part of the East, West or South may be poorly matched to another. Near California coastal overwintering sites, consult local conservation guidance before adding milkweed; nectar plantings may be the appropriate contribution there.
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is an important host across much of the Northeast and Midwest. It can spread vigorously through underground growth, so give it room and monitor its expansion even in a naturalized planting. Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) suits moist sites and tolerates wetter soil; it does not need a permanent swamp. Butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) favors well-drained soil and tolerates drier conditions. Use the table’s hardiness ranges as a starting point, then confirm local suitability; these plants are not interchangeable across all soils or regions.
Western choices vary with elevation and location. Showy milkweed (A. speciosa) is useful in much of the interior West, while narrowleaf milkweed (A. fascicularis) is an important California host where locally appropriate. Texas options include antelope-horns (A. asperula) and green antelopehorn (A. viridis), with other species suited to particular areas. Monarch Watch’s regional guide recommends checking county distribution before selecting restoration plants. Follow local guidance near California’s coastal overwintering habitat, where planting milkweed can be inappropriate even if a species grows well in the garden.
The Tropical Milkweed Problem
Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) can remain green through mild winters and support prolonged monarch breeding. Winter-breeding populations have shown high OE parasite infection. For a conservation planting, choose regionally appropriate native milkweed and follow current local guidance rather than relying on a USDA-zone cutoff or a one-time pruning date.
Tropical milkweed can keep producing foliage when many temperate native milkweeds are dormant. That difference matters for monarch habitat, especially where winters are mild. A plant surviving well and attracting many caterpillars is not, by itself, proof that it benefits the migratory population. The Xerces Society recommends native alternatives.
OE (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha) is a parasite of the butterfly, not a plant disease. Adults deposit spores on milkweed, and caterpillars can become infected when they ingest them. Continued breeding on persistent foliage can maintain transmission. Seasonal plant dieback and migration can interrupt this process, but native milkweed is not guaranteed to remain parasite-free. Infection risk is not an automatic, identical increase in every successive generation.
The effects on migration need careful wording. Research has linked winter breeding with high infection, and experiments and field observations raise concerns about late-season reproduction around persistent milkweed. Researchers differ on how strongly tropical milkweed alters migration at the population level. South Florida has a longstanding resident population, but it is not the only place where monarchs breed in winter; its history does not establish a universal geographic exception to disease concerns.
Our recommendation is to replace tropical milkweed with species appropriate to your region and habitat. Do not use Zone 8 as a sharp boundary between harmful and harmless planting: late-season eggs and larvae can encounter a killing freeze even where tropical milkweed eventually dies back. Where tropical plants remain, obtain current local conservation advice about removal or seasonal cutback and regrowth. A single autumn cut is not proof that parasite exposure has been eliminated. Do not overwinter tropical milkweed indoors merely to maintain winter foliage for monarchs.
Monarch Waystations
A Monarch Waystation provides milkweed, nectar and shelter for monarchs. Monarch Watch offers voluntary registration; its guidelines recommend a generous planting but impose no minimum area for certification.
Monarch Watch’s program is based at the University of Kansas. It recommends at least 10 milkweed plants representing two or more species; more than 10 plants of one species is also sufficient. Aim for sequential nectar bloom, suitable drainage and about six hours of sun. Match plant choices to the site.
Registration records your habitat and provides a certificate and identifying number; a sign is optional. Check the current application for the fee and registration details. Habitat can benefit monarchs without being registered.
Plan for continuing care: monitor weeds, water when needed and protect insects from pesticide exposure. Establishing habitat is an ongoing gardening commitment, not just a plant count or a sign.
Designing the Butterfly Garden
Provide sunny resting and feeding areas where appropriate, shelter from wind, host plants suited to the site, and undisturbed habitat. A shallow area of damp soil or sand can support butterflies that puddle; it does not meet every species’ needs by itself.
Sun. A sunny, wind-sheltered flower bed supports many butterflies and nectar plants. About six hours of direct sun is a useful design target, not a guarantee that every butterfly or host plant needs identical exposure. Include host species suited to the available light and protect the bed from strong winds.
Group flowers. Clusters of the same plant can make a concentrated feeding patch. Size each group for the plant’s mature spread and the available space.
Puddling stations. Some butterflies, especially males, take up dissolved salts from damp ground. Set a shallow dish of soil or sand at ground level in a sheltered spot, add stones for resting, and moisten it with water. Check it during dry weather and keep the surface damp rather than creating a deep pool.
Overwintering habitat. Depending on species, butterflies and moths may spend winter as eggs, caterpillars, pupae or adults, in locations such as vegetation, leaf litter or sheltered crevices. Keep some habitat undisturbed year-round. Where leaves must be moved, rake them gently into suitable beds rather than shredding them. A temperature of 50°F is not a universal emergence threshold: timing varies among insects and locations. Retaining habitat is more dependable than clearing every bed on a temperature-based date.
Fitting it into a food forest. Use suitable sunny edges and openings for host and nectar plants. Monarch Watch recommends about 100 square feet or more, but smaller sites can qualify and the planting may be divided among separate areas at the same location. A single 100-square-foot bed is not required.
The No-Pesticide Rule
Avoid routine insecticide spraying in butterfly habitat. Caterpillar-targeting strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), including kurstaki, can kill susceptible butterfly larvae that eat treated foliage. Organic approval does not mean a product is safe for every beneficial insect.
A butterfly garden deliberately supports insects, including caterpillars. Broad-spectrum sprays can harm them and other beneficial insects. Soaps and horticultural oils can also harm insects they contact; lower residual toxicity does not make spraying occupied host plants harmless. Identify the insect and assess plant damage before deciding whether any intervention is needed.
Bt strains target different insect groups. Bt kurstaki and Bt aizawai target susceptible caterpillars; Bt israelensis targets certain fly larvae, including mosquitoes. Caterpillar susceptibility varies with species and age, so these products do not kill every caterpillar equally. Prevent caterpillar-targeting sprays from reaching butterfly host foliage, including through drift. Follow the exact product label and its application restrictions; calm weather alone does not guarantee that drift cannot occur.
The practical approach is to tolerate minor feeding and avoid broadcast treatment. If a pest is seriously damaging a plant, identify it first and consider careful hand removal or another targeted, nonchemical method. Protect butterfly eggs and larvae while doing this. If an insecticide is necessary elsewhere in the yard, follow its label and prevent exposure of the butterfly habitat; do not assume an organic product is harmless.
Butterfly Garden FAQ
What is the difference between a host plant and a nectar plant?
A host plant provides food for a caterpillar; a nectar plant provides floral food for adult butterflies. A plant may do both. Host choice and egg placement vary by butterfly species, and some adults prefer other foods such as sap or fruit. Plan for the local species rather than assuming all butterflies have the same needs.
Is tropical milkweed bad for monarchs?
Persistent tropical milkweed can support winter breeding and continued OE transmission. The evidence for high infection in winter-breeding monarchs is stronger than a blanket claim that every plant stops migration. Choose suitable regional natives; neither a winter freeze nor one autumn pruning guarantees that all ecological or disease risks disappear.
What is the best milkweed to plant for monarchs?
Choose a milkweed native to your area and suited to its soil, moisture and growing season. Common, swamp, butterfly, showy and narrowleaf milkweeds serve different regions and sites; no one species is best nationwide. Near California coastal overwintering sites, seek local guidance before planting milkweed and consider suitable nectar plants. Prefer regional natives over tropical milkweed where milkweed planting is appropriate.
What is a Monarch Waystation?
It is habitat intended to support monarchs with milkweed and nectar. Official registration is available through Monarch Watch. There is no minimum area; follow the program’s current planting and management guidelines, summarized above.
Do butterfly gardens need violets?
Violets are hosts for great spangled and other greater fritillaries. They are useful where those butterflies occur, but not every fritillary uses violets: Gulf fritillary larvae feed on passionflowers. Match the host plant to the butterfly species.
Is Bt safe for a butterfly garden?
Caterpillar-targeting Bt, such as Bt kurstaki, can harm butterfly larvae that eat treated foliage. Other strains target different insects; mosquito-targeting Bt israelensis is not interchangeable with caterpillar products. Check the strain and label, and keep caterpillar-targeting sprays and drift off butterfly host plants.
What do adult butterflies need besides flowers?
Provide places to bask, shelter from wind and weather, and appropriate habitat for the species in your area. Some adults, especially males, puddle on damp soil or sand for dissolved salts. A shallow dish with damp substrate and resting stones can offer this resource, but butterflies differ in their habitat and feeding needs.
Should I clean up my butterfly garden in fall?
Retain some leaf litter, standing stems and sheltered patches through winter and into the growing season. Butterflies and moths overwinter in different life stages and places, depending on species. There is no universal 50°F cleanup date that means every insect has emerged. Keep permanent undisturbed habitat and do necessary maintenance selectively.
Related Guides
Herb beds that host black swallowtail caterpillars overlap heavily with edible companion planting — see the full Companion Planting guide for how dill, fennel, and parsley work double duty. If deer pressure is also a concern for the same planting bed, check our deer-resistant plants guide before committing a border to milkweed and asters a deer herd might sample. Replacing some lawn with locally appropriate flowering plants can add food and shelter; a flowering lawn does not automatically provide damp puddling ground. See our lawn alternatives guide. To find your local winter-hardiness zone, check the USDA hardiness zone map. For the rest of the wildlife- and pollinator-friendly plant lineup, start at the Plant Selection hub.
Resources & Further Reading
- Monarch Waystation Program – Monarch Watch
- Tropical Milkweed—a No-Grow – Xerces Society
- Creating a Butterfly Garden – University of Minnesota Extension
- Monarch Nectar Plant Guides – Xerces Society
- Milkweed Regions & Seed Needs – Monarch Watch Bring Back the Monarchs
- Native Milkweeds – UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
- Milkweed Questions and Tropical Milkweed Research – Monarch Joint Venture
- Creating a Puddling Station for Pollinators – Penn State Extension
- Oregon State University NPIC: Bt Strains and Effects
- University of Maryland: Bt Specificity and Caterpillar Susceptibility (page 11)
- Oregon State University: Spring Cleanup and Insect Emergence
- University of Illinois: Retaining Overwintering Habitat
- Xerces Society: Insect Life Stages and Winter Habitat
- University of California: Monarch Habitat and Waystation Size
- NC State: Butterfly Diets, Hosts and Habitat
- UF/IFAS: American Lady Biology and Host Plants
- University of South Florida Atlas: American Lady Hosts
- University of Wisconsin: Painted Lady Hosts
- Utah State University: Painted Lady Host Plants
- University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum: Greater Fritillary Biology
- Michigan State University: Great Spangled Fritillary and Violets
- UF/IFAS: Gulf Fritillary and Passionflower
- NC State: Passionflower and Its Butterfly Hosts
- UF/IFAS: Black Swallowtail Hosts
- UF/IFAS: Spicebush Swallowtail Hosts
- NC State: Sassafras Growth and Butterfly Hosts
- UF/IFAS: Harvester Caterpillars and Aphid Prey
- University of Georgia: OE Transmission Through Milkweed and Adult Contact
- UF/IFAS: Monarch Parasites and Regional Habitat
- UF/IFAS: Milkweed Selection and Scientific Uncertainty
- University of California: Differing Scientific Views on Tropical Milkweed
- University of Oklahoma Field Research: Late Milkweed, Monarch Breeding and Freeze Risk
- University of Wisconsin: Tropical Milkweed and Indoor Overwintering
- NC State: Common Blue Violet as Host and Nectar Plant
- South Dakota State University: Common Blue Violet Ecology
- NC State: Purple Coneflower Hardiness and Butterfly Use
- University of Illinois: Purple Coneflower, Zones 3–8
- UF/IFAS: Dill, Fennel and Parsley Life Cycles and Butterfly Use
- West Virginia University: Annual, Biennial and Perennial Herbs
- Oregon State University: Butterfly Shelter and Wet-Sand Puddles
- University of Illinois: Butterfly Gardens and Puddling Dishes
- NC State: Common Milkweed Growth and Site Needs
- NC State: Swamp Milkweed Site Needs and Hardiness
- NC State: Butterfly Milkweed Site Needs and Hardiness
- University of Illinois: Matching Milkweed to Soil Conditions
- Cal Poly Monarch Alert: Research and Coastal Habitat Guidance
- University of California: Regional Milkweed and Coastal Overwintering Habitat
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Milkweed Selection and Establishment
- University of California IPM: Invasive Plants, Including Fennel