If you want butterflies floating and flitting about your garden, then plant choice is key. There are blooming plants that attract them for food (nectar), and some serve as host plants (where they lay their eggs) also. This list of 29 plants that attract butterflies will help you choose which best suit you, your garden, and the butterflies in your area.
I’ve lived in New England, New York, California, and now Arizona. This is my list of butterfly-attracting plants that I’ve seen them feed and hatch off of. Not every plant will attract butterflies in all parts of the country. Different plants will attract different butterfly species. Check to see what butterfly species inhabit your region and what plants they will most favor.
Table of Contents
What Attracts Butterflies Plantwise?
Butterflies are attracted to certain colors and flower types. They particularly love bright colors in shades of yellow, orange, red, and pink. They’re also attracted to white flowers as well as purple flowers. Flat-topped blooms like lantana and penta along with short tubed ones like salvias and lavenders are the ones they can easily feed off.
You want your butterfly garden plants to be flowering for as long a period of time as possible to draw adult butterflies in and keep them coming back. For instance, yarrow starts to bloom in late spring and continues through summer. Asters bloom in late summer and continue into early fall. Adding a variety of plants like this to your garden would ensure there’s something they’re attracted to that’s flowering for months.
Interested in butterfly gardening? Check out: How To Attract Butterflies: How To Create A Butterfly Garden
Flowers That Attract Butterflies
Do a little research and see what plants do well in your climate. Annuals only last a season or 2 so any you choose is fine. Luckily, there are plenty of gorgeous flowers on the market these days!
These plants are all suited for the full sun because that’s what cold-blooded butterflies love – sun and heat.
Most of these, especially the annuals and perennials, can be grown in containers, pots, or planters as well as in the garden bed or border.
Related: 14 Colorful Annuals For Full Sun, Organic Flower Gardening: Good Things To Know
Annuals For Butterflies
Pentas
As an annual, the size averages 12” tall and wide. You can find them in white, pink, lavender and red.
If you want to attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees to your garden, this is the pollinator attractant you’ve been looking for.
Because of this bloom’s five-point shape, the Pentas are also known as Egyptian stars. The flowers and foliage of this plant give tropical vibes.
Zinnias
A beautiful daisy-like flower, the Zinnia can be pink, yellow, red, white, green, or bi-color. Butterflies love this one!
Described as a hot-climate plant, Zinnias fit the bill when it comes to searching for an easy-care plant that can thrive in the summer heat.
These are one of my favs. By the way, they make great cut flowers.
Marigolds
That pop of pizzaz from these bright orange flowers adds a cheery note to any garden. This bright, vibrant plant also comes in yellow and red.
Marigolds grow fast and are heat tolerant also.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are like a ray of sunshine. Gone are the days of only being able to find the 6’ yellow sunflower. There’s such a wide variety of sizes, forms, and flower colors – yellow, orange, red, and white – on the market now.
They run the gamut from 4’ right up to 16’ – now that’s quite the selection!
Related: 15 Types Of Sunflowers
Cosmos
If you want a variety of colors in your garden, Cosmos (in the sunflower family) is a good choice. White, pink, orange, yellow, and scarlet are the colors you can expect to see.
These flowers grow quickly and are easy to maintain. I love the way the taller varieties dance in the breeze. They don’t grow very wide so you can tuck them in where your garden just needs a fill.
Pinks (Dianthus)
These long-time cottage garden favorites are both annuals and perennials so I’ll include them here in this category.
These members of the carnation family have pretty solid or variegated star-like blooms and a light spicy scent. There are many to choose from in pink, white, red, and yellow.
Heliotrope
Often sold as an annual, this is a perennial in temperate climates. The blue/purple flowers have a recognizable scent. To me, the smell is like almonds mixed with canned cherries.
Perennials For Butterflies
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
These yellow daisy-like flowers with dark brown centers grew wild in the fields and along roadsides where I grew up in Litchfield County, CT.
Now you can find them in yellow, red, orange, or copper with dark brown or green eyes as well as a few varieties with double petals.
Cone Flower (Echinacea)
This old-fashioned favorite is recognizable for its petals that droop downward. It’s been one of the must-haves for a pollinator garden for years.
Lavender was the standard color long ago, but these days you can find it in orange, red, yellow, pink, white, and even green.
Yarrow (Achillea)
This popular cottage garden perennial has fern-leafed foliage in shades of medium green as well as grey-green.
The colors you’ll find it in are white, yellow, pink, and red as well as in various heights and widths.
Salvia
This is a big genus! Most are perennial but there are a few annual salvias too. With so many salvias on the market, you’ll find one to suit your fancy as they’re a flower garden favorite.
The foliage varies, as well as the heights and types. Red, pink, blue, purple, and white are colors to choose from. One of my favorites is Pineapple Salvia because of the bright red flowers and pineapple-scented foliage.
Related: Pruning Salvias: Pruning & Trimming 3 Types Of Salvias
Bee Balm (Monarda)
I love the smell of Bee Balm. This beautiful tall perennial that spreads provides the citrus flavoring for Earl Grey Tea.
The colors you can find it in are red, purple, pink, and white.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
The yellow/red Blanket Flower is an old classic. Now there are so many varieties on the market in shades of yellow, red, and orange.
The daisy-like flowers grow on stems anywhere from 1-2’ tall. These bloom from late spring right on through to the end of summer.
Agapanthus
These are clumping perennials that grew both in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, 2 places where I lived. They’re tough plants evidenced by the fact they grew in median strips and also near the ocean.
There are different sizes available and all have thick grass-like foliage. The colors you’ll find them in are blue and white.
Asters
When all the other flowers are getting tired of non-stop blooming in mid to late summer, Asters come through and last into fall.
These late-blooming daisies are available in blue, purple, pink, and white.
Phlox
This is another old-fashioned classic. There are a few lower-growing Phlox but most are tall and lovely. These make a good background filler for the border.
They come in many hues of white, pink, purple, red, and orange.
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)
This delicate-looking plant stays compact and doesn’t take up a lot of room in a garden bed or a container.
The foliage is somewhat frilly and the flowers can be found in blue, purple, pink, white, and red.
Sedum Autumn Joy & Sedum Carmen
Both of these succulents add interest and color to the garden when they bloom in mid-to-late summer right into fall.
The pink/bronze flowers of Autumn Joy and the rose/pink of Carmen arise on tall stems with fleshy foliage.
Pink & Red Valerian (Centranthus)
This tough, easy-care perennial seeds readily if not deadheaded so it can become pesty over time.
The photo above was taken alongside the sidewalk in Santa Barbara. You see this plant frequently popping up here and there, even out of cracks.
Joe Pye Weed
Native Joe Pie Weed and Milkweed grew wild where I grew up in Connecticut. Butterflies love them both.
Joe Pye Weed loved the moist soils of our pond and swamp areas. You can buy garden varieties of these, even a dwarf one that tops out at around 2-3’ tall. Their color range is from pink to red.
Milkweed
Milkweeds are food plants as well as host plants for the beloved Monarch butterflies. There are sites dedicated to saving the Monarchs. By the way, this plant is food to other butterflies too.
Native milkweeds are invasive in some regions so research and plant accordingly. This will help you find native Milkweeds by state.
Butterfly Weed (Aesclepias)
This is a non-invasive species of milkweed, but it’s not native. It’s from the tropics. Growing to about 3’ tall, it comes in yellow, orange, and red.
This is one of the best nectar plants and is extremely popular with butterflies as I know firsthand. I had 3 in my backyard in Santa Barbara. The Monarchs not only fed off the flowers, but the butterfly caterpillars feasted on the plant after they hatched (don’t worry, the plant grows back).
There are mixed opinions about this one, but it’s commonly sold in nurseries and big box stores. Again, do a little research and see if it’s right for you.
Related: How To Plant Perennials to Grow Successfully
Shrubs For Butterflies
Lantana
Lantanas are tough plants that bloom for months throughout the growing season. They start blooming in early spring and continue right through mid-fall. You can find them most commonly in shrub and groundcover form, as well as small trees.
They’re a common site here in Tucson and my previous stomping grounds of Southern California. The colors are vibrant in shades of yellow, red, orange, pink, lavender, and white. These, like bougainvillea, put out a real show of color.
Related: Pruning 2 Different Types Of Lantana In Spring
Lavender
These recognizable and long-time favorites are available in so many varieties and sizes these days. You can find one that grows to 1’ tall all the way up to 4’. The flowers are most commonly lavender to purple, but there are a few white and pink flowered ones on the market as well.
The flowers and foliage need no description as they have one of the most recognizable scents around. My mother lived in Sonoma, CA not far from Mantanzas Creek Winery, which is surrounded by lavender fields. Oh, the smell was heavenly in the warm summer sun!
Related: Planting Lavender In Pots
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
The name says it all. Although butterflies love them, they throw seeds like crazy.
This notoriously rangy plant is considered to be invasive in some areas so do a bit of checking out on this one too. I remember taking a train out of London and seeing Butterfly Bushes growing right next to the tracks and even coming out of the side of a brick building.
There are now seedless varieties on the market so that might be a better option, depending on where you live. Not only are they sterile, but they stay more compact.
Bottle Brush
Bottle Tree is a common shrub or small tree along the California Coast. Here in Tucscon, the low-growing “Little John” variety is seen more often.
The vibrant red flowers, which look just like the old-time bottle brushes, are an attractant to both butterflies and hummingbirds.
Red Bird Of Paradise
This deciduous shrub is included because I have a few of them in my new garden. There were massive amounts of butterflies visiting them at the peak of their bloom last summer.
They have vibrant red and yellow flowers with legume-like foliage. The bees and finches love them too!
Vines For Butterflies
Passion Vine (Passiflora)
Passiflora is a vine that tendrils. It needs something to attach and is great to cover a chain-link fence or climb up and over an arbor.
Passion Vines come in different colors, mainly purple, blue, pink, red, and white. The beautiful flowers are intricate, and the first time I saw one in person thought “now that’s a work of art”.
Bougainvillea
I’ve grown bougainvillea for years now, and when it’s in full bloom, it’s a riot of color so now wonder butterflies love it!
