By Peggy Burhenn, UC Master Gardener
Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order Lepidoptera.
What Butterflies Need
- Sun: Butterflies prefer warm, sunny locations where they can warm their bodies for flight.
- Water: Butterflies obtain nutrients from damp soil, puddle edges, or rotting fruit. A shallow dish filled with wet sand, rocks, or corks can provide a safe water source.
- Wind protection: Shelter from wind helps prevent cooling and makes flying easier.
- Nectar plants: Nectar-rich plants attract butterflies and provide energy. As adults move from flower to flower, they also aid in pollination.
- Host plants: Adult butterflies do not care for their young. Instead, females lay eggs on specific host plants. Once eggs hatch, caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of these plants.
Nectar Plants for Adult Butterflies
California native plants:
Ceanothus, willows, hollyleaf cherry, coast live oak, lupines, alder, currant, coffeeberry, deerweed, gooseberry, manzanita, buckwheat, and yarrow.
Non-native plants:
Black-eyed Susan, aster, lantana, coneflower, daisy, lavender, rosemary, sunflower, cosmos, marigolds, verbena, statice, chives, and zinnia.
Host Plants for Caterpillars
Host plants vary by butterfly species. Examples include:
- Monarch: milkweed
- Gulf fritillary: passion vine
- Painted lady: thistle
- Western tiger swallowtail: sycamore
- Anise swallowtail: citrus, anise, and plants in the carrot family
- Checkered white and Sara orangetip: mustards
- Acmon blue: deerweed and buckwheat
- Mourning cloak: willow and cottonwood
- California sister: oaks
- Common buckeye: snapdragon, plantain, and monkey flower
- Queen: milkweed
Native host plants include:
Willows, poplars, sycamore, bladderpod, ceanothus, deerweed, coffeeberry, buckwheat, Indian paintbrush, common sunflower, monkey flower, and oaks.
Non-native host plants include:
Passion vine, cassia, sweet fennel, and snapdragons.
Host plants are essential food sources for caterpillars. Feeding may defoliate plants and create a temporary unsightly appearance, which should be considered when choosing planting locations.
Tips for Attracting Butterflies and Other Pollinators
- Use plants of varying heights, flower shapes, and a mix of annuals and perennials.
- Provide overlapping bloom times, especially in early spring and late fall.
- Choose single-flowered varieties; double flowers usually contain less nectar.
- Include native plants, including trees, that also support native bees.
- Plants in the sunflower family are especially attractive, including sunflowers, asters, zinnias, thistles, and marigolds.
- Plant several of the same species together in a 3–4 foot grouping.
- Avoid the use of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the garden.
References
Heath, F. An Introduction to Southern California Butterflies. Mountain Press, 2004.
Host Plants for California Butterfly Larvae. UC ANR.
Plants for Butterflies. UC ANR.
Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists. Xerces Society. https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists
The Butterfly Book. Stokes Nature Guide. Little, Brown and Company, 1991.
Worthington, L. Central California’s Migratory Butterflies. UC Master Gardeners of Monterey Bay.