I have Aristolochia fimbriata in shade/part shade that is the favorite host for Pipevine Swallowtails!
I have a new shade bed that I am planning to put more in as well as some other host plants...Forget-Me-Nots for American Ladies...Violets for Varigated Frits...Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora) for Buckeyes.
I will look forward to seeing what other BF lovers come up with!!!
Good luck,
Lila

Some species of Asclepias will do okay in the shade. I've grown A. incarnata (swamp milkweed) and A. syriaca (common) in partial to mostly shade. They don't bloom when they don't get much sun, but the plants do pretty well and they attract egg-laying female Monarchs. The foliage stays in pretty good shape too and I've used it for food for the cats.

I can't think of any nectar plants that do well in shade, since a certain amount of sun is needed for blooming.
There are many host plants, however, that thrive in shade - all of the Aristolochias, Ptelea trifoliata, spicebush, rue and others.

Sherry

Thanks so much for all of the great ideas!

I had some naturalized A. Tuberosa the did very well in partial shade. They bloomed and grew to moderate size.

Byron

Now you are in Texas so this may or may not work. I am picking plants that are native in Texas as well but that can mean anything.

For nectar, you can try blue mist flower (Conoclinium coelestinum). We have it growing in the woods where it gets some sun but not much. It blooms in the late summer and fall and is a great nectar plant. Some of the wood oats would work for satyrs and nymphs (Chasmanthium). However, they can be aggressive and would need to be corralled. Some people think it looks like mini bamboo.
How about some shrubs like spicebush or something in the wild cherry and plum (Prunus)family? Rudbeckia has a lot of species. I know Rudbeckia triloba (brown-eyed susan) grows in the shade well as it is a forest edge plant. I like its color better than regular black-eyed susans. You could certainly try one of the many Echinacea species as well. Some might be more suited for shade and being in Texas you have a lot to choose from.
In terms of annuals, there are a lot of things. Impatiens but they need a lot of water. I have marigolds that tolerate the shade fine. Sweet alyssum seems to do okay in the shade as well. Nothing seem stop parsely, fennel, and dill from popping up everywhere.

The best thing is just to try it and see what happens!

Good luck,
Elisabeth

Sometimes it seems butterflies prefer to nectar on flowers that are in the sun rather than shade. I have sedum in both sun and shade and while the ones that are in shade do still get a few flowers on them, the butterflies ignore those. The ones planted in sun get lots of visitors, although they're mostly small butterflies.

Is your shade under trees where you get some dappled sun shining through or is it along the north side of a building where you get no sun at all?

I have seen swallowtails visit my woodland phlox (phlox divaricata) when it blooms in the spring. It's under deciduous trees so it's getting some dappled sun. I can't recall if the trees have fully leafed yet out when it blooms.

It might be good to focus on planting host plants where it's shady rather than flowers. I don't think butterflies mind when their host plants are in the shade.
If you can grow Spicebush (lindera benzoin) down there, that would be a good shrub to attract Spicebush Swallowtails caterpillars. I have found countless caterpillars on mine.
Wafer Ash would host both Tiger Swallowtails and Giant Swallowtails and I believe it's ok to plant in shade.

Have you come across the website below? It has thumnail images of butterflies in Texas and lists their host plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dallasbutterflies.com - host plants