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What are some of your fave flowers for butterflies? Bees also, but need more suggestions for butterflies. This for nectaring, not so much host which is a different topic. These can be annuals or perennials, natives and introduced.

Milkweed or butterfly weed. Not just for the larval food of Monarch and Queen butterfly caterpillars but because the flowers are food for butterflies and bees.
Butterfly bush, lantana and scabiosa are also good nectar plants.
Some native plants are fall favorites; goldenrod, ironweed, and joe-pye weed are among the best. They are space hogs though.

Besides the various milkweeds in my garden, the absolute favorite seems to be stokesia. I have no idea what variety I have because it wasn't labeled when purchased but they bloom longer than my other stokesia and never flop (maybe due to ideal sun exposure). These are always covered in butterflies while in bloom. My caryopteris is in full bloom right now and also seems to be a big hit with the butterflies and most definitely the bees.

Clover, aster, dogbane. They seem to like anything in the cabbage family for the caterpillars.

The stokes aster caught my eye! I have a couple of plants, ignored, they bloom late spring/early summer, pretty. BUT, tend to flop over. They are survivors, these in an overgrown bed for years. brought home when I worked a garden center some time back. So, did the usual back ground check (what did we do before computers?!) The basic stokesia is native to SE, so there's a plus! I checked for seeds, start from seed from several sources, fairly easy, a plus! Then the seeds. Yikes! A couple of places have 10 seeds for around $3.

Next check my plants. The bloom and color has been gone for a long time, but the old flower heads there, most still somewhat green. I picked a couple of dried ones and put in a brown paper lunch sack to dry further. I'll try the seeds, but one has to wait it out! Also don't know if I have a true plant or a hybrid. Yes, I will be ordering a couple of packets of seeds. I think that part is called R & D or just Trial and Error or love the challenge! A side note, come early spring when mine start to show new growth, can divide (over due) and pot up a couple for market.

My experience with Stoke’s Aster has been interesting. The very first perennials I ever purchased when we bought our first house were 3 Stoke’s Aster that were unmarked (4 years ago). These plants bloom for me steadily June – July, have never flopped (not even now that the blooms have faded), and are always a hit with the swallowtails. They became a quick favorite so I decided I needed more and planted some on the side of my house. THOSE plants bloom for what seems like a week and completely fall to the sides and look pretty pathetic for the majority of the season. I’ve noticed all my gardening neighbors who have them use little garden fencing around their stokesia to keep them propped up.

I have no idea what it is about those original 3… purchased from HD marked only “perennial plant”. They have hardly spread, but maybe one day I’ll get some divisions and see if they behave as nicely in another location.

Today I saw a Cabbage White butterfly feeding on the grapefruit mint flowers and a Clouded Sulfur feeding on marigold flowers.

The Skippers have been crowding on the few zinnia flowers that are blooming, usually there are 3 or 4 skippers feeding at the same time.