Hi everyone,

I know often when we talk of host plants we always caution people about buying plants treated with pesticides. Looks like it's also a problem when buying nectar plants.

This link deals more with bees, but I am sure butterflies, who are also considered pollintaors, could also suffer when getting nectar from plants that have been treated with neonicortinoids.

The effects are often what's called "sub-lethal," meaning that death doesn't happen immediately--things accumulate in their systems and affects their ability to thrive, often leading to their eventual deaths.

There are nurseries out there who specialize in growing native plants and don't use any pesticides.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides in nectar plants