Monarch Butterflies have a special place in my heart.
…And I love the tailed butterflies.
Black Swallowtails (on the carrot family plants) and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails both the yellow form and the Black form (sweet gum and tulip trees) have become regulars now… plus I’m trying to attract the Spicebush Swallowtails (spicebush) and Zebra Swallowtails (pawpaw).
I thought I saw a Spicebush this summer, but I think it might have been/was probably a Red-spotted Purple (no tail) — adults are attracted to dropped fruits and use Black Cherry trees and Willow for larval host.
I can’t chop down all the siberian elm saplings that pop up everywhere because short-tailed Question mark butterflies use them as larval host.
… then there are the tiny Hairstreaks (green ones, blue ones, and purple ones) and Pearly Crescent — for which larval hosts are various … some are weeds and wildflowers
… also no tails but skippers (legumes), Red Admiral and Viceroy (nettles, etc.), Buckeyes (plantain), … and Monarchs of course (milkweed).
In my area, some folks came up with a wonderful list of plants a while back. You might be able to find similar lists for your area or region as well.
Post here if you know of other sources and references for butterfly habitat, and I’ll make this topic a sticky
BUTTERFLY HOST PLANTS FOR SOUTH JERSEY LANDSCAPES (January, 2020 Edition)Jesse Connor for the South Jersey Butterfly Project, www.blogs.stockton.edu/sjbfs/ & the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, https://www.npsnj.org/
NOTE: This list begins with native trees and shrubs because, along with native grasses, they make up the vast majority of native host plants. They are more persistent in the landscape over time and region and also provide more dependable and abundant leaf food than do perennials. The moral: Add native trees and shrubs to your backyard habitat!
