11 Underrated Butterfly Host Plants You Can Grow

When you think of supporting butterflies in your garden, your mind may jump to planting flowers that provide nectar for the colorful, flying adults. These flowering plants are a key part of a butterfly garden, but they’re not the only important element. Host plants that provide food for caterpillars can also help attract and support butterflies.

Adult butterflies seek out specific species that their young can eat, then lay their eggs on the appropriate plants. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars begin chowing down.

Some butterflies, like the famous monarchs, lay their eggs on just a single genus or family of plants, but other caterpillars can feed on numerous plant families. So while milkweed is a popular host plant thanks to the monarch’s popularity, it’s not the only one! Here are some underrated butterfly host plants you can grow to support these beautiful flying insects.

Bouquet Dill

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Sundial Lupine Bluebonnet

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Purple Passionflower

	botanical name Passiflora incarnata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-25’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Where I live in Tennessee, purple passionflower is a common sight in unmowed meadows and abandoned hayfields, where it pops up year after year thanks to its long roots. Many people love this Southeast native due to its stunning, large flowers and delicious fruits, but it’s also a host plant for numerous caterpillars.

I’ve seen passionflower plants less than a foot tall covered with small caterpillars of the gulf fritillary and variegated fritillary. Both of these caterpillars are a stunning deep orange with black spikes. Purple passionflower also serves as a host for the zebra longwing, which produces white caterpillars with black spikes.

Buying this underrated butterfly host plant from a nursery is the easiest way to add purple passionflower to your garden, but you can also experiment with rooting cuttings if you have access to established plants. Providing a trellis of some kind is ideal since it allows the vining plant to grow up rather than sprawling across your entire garden.

Oak Species

	botanical name Quercus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-100’, varies by species
	hardiness zones 3-9, varies by species

Small flowering plants often get the spotlight when it comes to attracting butterflies. Maybe it’s because they’re beautiful additions to the garden, or perhaps it’s because we can see the adult butterflies and caterpillars feeding on their flowers and foliage. But when it comes to supporting a diversity of butterflies and moths, oak trees are a vastly underrated butterfly host plant.

As ecologist Doug Tallamy explains in his book “The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees,” oaks support more caterpillar species than any other plant genus. Trees like white oaks, red oaks, and pin oaks act as host plants for more than 900 caterpillar species! These include various duskywing species, the red-spotted purple, and the red-banded hairstreak.

Not only do oaks act as underrated butterfly host plants, but they also provide shelter and nuts for small mammals and birds. This means they’re a great plant if you want to support an array of wildlife.

Most oaks grow into large trees, so think carefully before you plant them. Don’t plant them right beside houses or under power lines, and think about the shade they’ll cast when they’re older. You can purchase oak saplings from a nursery or find acorns in your area and plant them in the ground. Planting species native to your area is preferred over non-native options.

Smallspike False Nettle

	botanical name Boehmeria cylindrica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Smallspike false nettle supports three beautiful and well-known butterflies: the question mark, eastern comma, and red admiral. Although some of these caterpillars can feed on other species, this false nettle is one of the easier host plants to add to your garden.

This perennial isn’t showy, but it’s easy to grow and native to most of the eastern half of the US. It grows well in dappled light or afternoon shade and tolerates moderately wet areas. Try planting it with showy plants like anise hyssop and mistflower.

One of the best things about this native plant is that it lacks the fine hairs that are responsible for the discomfort that stinging nettles cause. That means you can plant false nettle in your garden without worrying about it irritating your skin.

Dill

	botanical name Anethum graveolens
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-5’
	hardiness zones 2-11

If you want to sneak a few butterfly host plants into your herb patch or cutting garden, dill is a good option. This common herb is a host for the black swallowtail, and I normally see at least a few of these caterpillars pop up on the feathery greens each summer.

The small caterpillars start out mostly black before changing to a beautiful light green with black stripes and yellow dots. When they’re disturbed, they send out an orange, antennae-looking organ called an osmeterium that sends out a citrus-like scent. Since they’re harmless but beautiful, they’re a great caterpillar to teach kids about metamorphosis and host plants.

Black swallowtails will use any member of the Apiaceae family as host plants, so dill isn’t your only option to support them. Parsley, carrots, and Queen Anne’s lace can also act as host plants for this common butterfly. The caterpillars rarely cause serious damage, so leave them if you spot them feeding on one of the plants.

Willow Species

	botanical name Salix spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-60’, varies by species
	hardiness zones 3-10, varies by species

If you want to add a fast-growing tree or shrub to your property and support butterflies at the same time, willows are a great choice. The Salix genus includes native shrubs like the pussy willow as well as medium-size trees like the black willow and weeping willow. All of these plants produce foliage that supports numerous species of caterpillars. 

Some of the butterflies that use willows as host plants include the mourning cloak, viceroy, and red-spotted purple. These butterflies will also use other tree species as hosts if willows aren’t available, but planting these fast-growing trees in your landscape will provide the caterpillars with a welcome food source.

The majority of willows appreciate moderate to high moisture, so plant them in an area that rarely dries out. Wet areas of your yard and beside ponds and streams are a few suitable options. 

Broadleaf Plantain

	botanical name Plantago major
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 3-12

Often dismissed as an unwanted weed, broadleaf plantain plays an important role in the life of the stunning common buckeye butterfly. The adults lay single eggs on the leaves, and they hatch into black and orange caterpillars in around a week. The caterpillars feed on the plantain leaves before turning into chrysalides and then adults.

Buckeye caterpillars also feed on other plants, so don’t sweat it if you don’t have any broadleaf plantain in your garden. Purple false foxglove, common toadflax, and Carolina wild petunia are a few of the underrated butterfly host plants that the buckeye loves.

Sundial Lupine

	botanical name Lupinus perennis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Not only does sundial lupine produce beautiful flowers that attract butterflies, but it also serves as a host plant for numerous types of caterpillars. This lupine, also known as wild lupine, is native to parts of the East Coast and Midwest. It thrives in drier soils and doesn’t mind sandy or rocky areas.

Sundial lupine is the only host plant for the endangered Karner blue butterfly. This tiny blue butterfly is primarily found in the upper Midwest, so consider planting sundial lupine if you live in this area. The eastern tailed-blue is a similar-looking but less rare butterfly that also uses this native lupine as a host plant.

While you can grow other species of lupine, like Lupinus polyphyllus, in your garden for their beautiful and nectar-rich flowers, be aware that these species aren’t suitable host plants for the Karner blue.

White Clover

	botanical name Trifolium repens
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 3-10

Whether you want to replace your lawn with a flower groundcover or enrich your soil with a legume between veggie crops, white clover is an excellent addition. This low-growing clover features the iconic three-leaflets and produces small white flowers. The flowers attract pollinators of all sorts, including bees and butterflies. It can be aggressive in temperate areas and sometimes invasive.

White clover also serves as a host plant for various caterpillars. The gray hairstreak, eastern tailed-blue, and numerous species of sulphur butterflies visit the clover leaves to lay their eggs. Since the caterpillars only need a little foliage to feed on, planting even a small clover patch can help out the butterflies.

If you don’t like the look of white clover, planting crimson clover or red clover will also benefit butterflies. These plants host some of the same butterflies as white clover, as well as a few others.

Common Blue Violet

	botanical name Viola sororia
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 4-10”
	hardiness zones 3-7

If you don’t have room for purple passionflower in your yard but want to support fritillary butterflies, you can plant common blue violets. These low-growing flowering plants are native to most of the eastern half of the US and are hosts for variegated and grand spangled fritillary butterflies.

Common blue violets can tolerate a range of growing conditions, from dry shade to moist, sunny areas. They often pop up as weeds in gardens and lawns, but they make beautiful groundcovers when intentionally planted. Besides acting as a host plant, the plants also produce small flowers that provide food for insects.

Common Partridge Pea

	botanical name Chamaecrista fasciculata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Since partridge pea is a native, annual legume that can tolerate hot weather and dry soil, it’s often used to help improve poor soil. The plants produce bright yellow flowers that are excellent pollinator attractors. They also have beautiful leaves that fold up when they’re touched.

Common partridge pea is a host plant for the small butterflies, including the little yellow, sleepy orange, and orange sulfur. Their caterpillars are smooth and plain-looking and appear in shades of green and yellow. Don’t mistake them for the similar-looking cabbageworm!

You can plant bare areas with partridge pea to improve the soil and help butterflies at the same time. However, mixing a few of these plants into meadows and wildflower gardens will also help these small butterflies.

Little Bluestem

	botanical name Schizachyrium scoparium
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Native flowers often get the attention when planting pocket prairies and butterfly gardens. However, native grasses like little bluestem also play an important role in the ecosystem! Little bluestem is a host for numerous species of skipper butterflies.