CORRECTION! The American Painted Lady is Vanessa virginienses; not Vanessa cardui.

The above should have read as follows:

THIS thread is ONLY for the host plants of
the: AMERICAN PAINTED LADY(Vanessa VIRGINIENSIS).

1. It would be interesting to know what species of butterfly HOST PLANTS different gardners have observed certain butterflies using in their respective regions, first-hand.

*Example: Some sites indicate Red Mulberry as a host for the Mourning Cloak Butterfly. It would be interesting to know if anyone can confirm this through personal experience in observation; likewise, it would be interesting if anyone has seen Mourning Cloaks use Morus alba, etc.
*Another example: Some sites claim that the Eastern Tiger Swallow Tail Butterfly uses Lindera benzoin - a known host of the Spicebush Swallowtail; and the other way around: Some sites claim that Swampbay Magnolia is the host of the Spicebush Swallowtail, although it is primarily described as the host of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (in the south?). This may be a re-circulated error(?)

2. If you have two or more host plants commonly known to be a host plant of a certain butterfly, it would be interesting to know which is more attractive.

*Example: Common hosts of the Red-Admiral Butterfly include: Tall Stinging Nettle; Stinging Nettle L.; Wood Nettle; False Nettle; & Canadian Clear-Weed Nettle. I intend to grow all of these. I would be able to eventually report which patch (each being 5' x 5') of Nettle spp. attracted the most Red-Admirals or associated brushfoots.

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Note: There are websites that re-circulate misinformation and dubious information, so in this discussion thread, please exclusively present only your own personal observations. This should, hopefully, provide practical information when regionally applied in making decisions in host plant selection where space is limited, etc.

-Steve

My American ladies use cudweed/gnaphalium pensylvanicum most of the time, and they sometimes use rabbit's tobacco/g. obtusifolium.
I've seen them lay eggs on both these plants and raised many caterpillars to maturity on both of them.
MissSherry

I've seen them oviposit on Helichrysum petiolare. Although I have yet to raise a cat to maturity on it yet.

Maryann in CT

I have raised APL's on helichrysum Icycles. I can't seem to get cudweed to live.

I guess Pearly and Sweet Everlasting will work well - and Pussytoes.

I wonder about Lesser Burdock.

I just found a few cats on Pearly Everlasting.