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moonwolf_gw

What Are Your Most Butterfly Active Plants?

moonwolf_gw
12 years ago

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to list the plants in my garden that have been the most active for butterflies. They simply just adore these plants!!!!!

Butterfly Bush (of course!)

Tithonia (WS and it's really tall!)

Lantana (yellow that fades to white; I see lots of Silver Spotted Skippers on these.)

Tropical Milkweed (even saw a female monarch on it)

What plants are your stars of the show this year?

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Comments (10)

  • wifey2mikey
    12 years ago

    I have five varieties of lantana - and all have been popular.

    I've also seen quite a few butterflies on my Pentas.

    The butterfly bushes got more activity before our record breaking heat wave scorched them.

    The milkweed plants are getting some action - about the same as the cone flowers.

    ~Laura

  • Mary Leek
    12 years ago

    In my small gardens in Central Arkansas, these five nectar plants have been the most active this year:

    Verbena bonariensis
    Butterfly Bush
    Butterfly Weed
    Lantana
    Pentas

    ~Mary

  • docmom_gw
    12 years ago

    My best are my milkweed (A. incarnata) and Joe Pye weed. Next are the Zinnias, annual Monarda (Dotted Mint) and various sunflowers. I only have a smattering of Verbena boniarensis this year, because it was becoming invasive. I pulled most of it out before it dropped seed.

    Martha

  • mboston_gw
    12 years ago

    #1 - Tithonia - Mexican Sunflower - used by all by far #1
    #2 - Tall Red Pentas - used by all
    #3 - Coral Tree - in the Jatropha family - even with only a few blooms so far, there is always someone on it
    #4 - Regular Jatropha
    #5 - Zinnias - Cut and Come Again and Pinwheels
    #6 - Red Shrimp Plant - surprised me but this is the first summer it has really bloomed well
    #7 - Salvias - Native Red, Coral Nymph and White
    #8 - Orange and Yellow Cosmos - mostly used by the Sulphurs, Monarchs, and Frits

  • MissSherry
    12 years ago

    #1 - Lantana
    #2 - Tropical Milkweed
    #3 - Zinnias
    #4 - Turk's Cap/Malvaviscus drummondii
    #5 - Butterfly Bush
    #6 - Brazilian Button - used mainly by small butterflies
    #7 - Pentas

    I didn't plant tithonia/Mexican sunflowers this year - if I had, I'm sure they'd be high on the list.

    Mary, does your red shrimp plant come back each spring? Do hummingbirds use it as advertised?

    Sherry

  • christie_sw_mo
    12 years ago

    My butterfly bushes and verbena bonariensis have been swarming with Buckeye butterflies and a few variegated frits, but only an occasional swallowtail. The swallowtails prefer my zinnias and mimosa tree.

    I have a several tithonia plants but only one is big enough to bloom. They volunteered very late this year. I need to winter sow them next year so they'll have an earlier start.

    My lantanas aren't getting any action but they're kind of small (planted late).

  • mboston_gw
    12 years ago

    I started out with it in a pot the first year and brought it in during our cold spells so it never died back. When it got big, I put it in a spot in full sun and it suffers during the summer even with our daily rains now. The past two winters I have covered it the best I could and yes it has come back. This summer I have feed it heavily and it has more blooms on it than I have ever seen. The Polys love it and yes, the hummers do use it. I have a friend whose back yard is primarily covered with it and he usually has 15-20 winter hummers that stay from Dec. till spring. I guess it is supposed to bloom almost all year round if fed - I had thought it was a winter bloomer till this summer.

    I had trouble finding Tithonia seeds at the store this spring. Finally found a couple of packs but most of my plants came from seeds I had saved and threw out on the surface of the soil. I don't know what I would do without it - it just gets so messy looking with fried leaves this time of year when it rains so much.

    Looks like we may have our first hurricane the end of this week - hopefully she will just be a tropical storm by the time she gets here. Yuck - not ready to do this!

  • Tony G
    12 years ago

    1. Verbena bonariensis
    2. Liatris ligulistylis for MONARCHS- just starting to bloom in last week
    3. Tropical milkweed
    4. Zinnias- Zowie yellow flame, california giant, whirligigs, fire profusion- peppermint stick was pretty but did not attract as many butterflies
    4. Mexican sunflowers- late start but recovering nicely
    5. Butterfly bushes- Ellen's blue, magenta butterfly buzz

    Common milkweed was a nectaring "dud" this year because of our cool spring. Few butterflies here when it bloomed. Still fed plenty of cats.

  • MissSherry
    12 years ago

    I've been wanting to plant the red shrimp plant, Mary, because I'd read it was hardier than the yellow, and thought I'd give it a try. It's never for sale here, though so I'd probably have to order it.
    I've been watching the Weather Channel to see where Irene is likely to go - 'sounds like they don't really know yet.
    Let's just hope it becomes a rain-laden tropical storm and fools them and goes to Texas/Oklahoma.
    Sherry

  • terrene
    12 years ago

    #1 tall Zinnias - State Fair, Cut & Come again, and a tall red variety. Hummers and bees like these too.

    Also, Tithonia, Buddleia, Echinacea, Verbena bonariensis, and my Liatris ligulystylis just started blooming too. Several species have like the short marigolds (french style).

    Spicebush swallowtails like Phlox, Monarda and Lobelia cardinalis.

    ETS really like the Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum).

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