Best Plants for Butterflies

Our recent post on the best plants for bees and other pollinators has been so popular that we decided to follow up with more on Heather Holm’s suggestions for the best plants for butterflies. Heather is a Minnesota gardener and expert on pollinators. Her book, Pollinators of Native Plants, has been favorably reviewed in Northern Gardener® and a variety of other publications, and she is a wonderful speaker on topics related to native plants and pollinators.

We heard her speak most recently at the East Metro Spring Fling, where she handed out her plant lists. Here are her recommendations for best plants for butterflies for different sun and soil conditions.

Sunny, Sandy Sites

• Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)
• Prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa)
• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
• Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Sunny, Loamy Sites

• Meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis)
• Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea pupurea)
• Smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides)
• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Sunny, Moist Sites

• Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
• New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
• Spotted Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
• Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)