Best host plants for Florida butterflies

Every gardener knows to plant flowers for butterflies, but the real secret to a yard full of them is host plants — the specific plants that caterpillars eat. Without hosts, butterflies visit, feed, and move on; with them, butterflies lay eggs, caterpillars grow, and the next generation hatches right in your garden.

Each butterfly species uses particular host plants, so the ones you choose determine which butterflies will breed in your yard. Here are the most rewarding host plants for Palm Beach County, and the butterflies each one supports.

Why host plants matter

Host plants are where butterflies lay their eggs and where their caterpillars feed, which means they are the difference between a garden butterflies pass through and one where they complete their life cycle. A yard with hosts produces butterflies rather than merely hosting visitors.

Expect host plants to be eaten — sometimes stripped — and understand that this is success, not damage. Planting a few extra of each host gives the caterpillars enough to go around and keeps the plants from being wiped out.

Passionvine — longwings and fritillaries

Native passionvine is one of the most productive host plants you can grow, feeding the caterpillars of the gulf fritillary and the zebra longwing, Florida's state butterfly. Grown on a trellis or fence, it earns its keep many times over.

It grows vigorously, so give it a structure to climb and room to be chewed. In a good year a single passionvine can raise dozens of butterflies.

Coontie — the atala's comeback

Coontie, a Florida native cycad, is the sole host for the atala butterfly, a striking black, blue, and orange species that was once nearly gone from the region and has rebounded as gardeners planted coontie. Adding it is a small act of conservation.

Coontie is also a tough, handsome, drought-tolerant landscape plant in its own right, so it earns a place even apart from the butterflies. Plant it and you may be rewarded with atalas in time.

Cassia and senna — the sulphurs

Cassia and senna shrubs are the host plants for the cloudless sulphur and other sulphur butterflies, those bright yellow flutterers you see crossing the yard. The caterpillars feed on the foliage, and the shrubs add cheerful yellow flowers of their own.

These are easy, fast-growing plants that quickly start producing butterflies. Tuck them into a sunny bed and watch the sulphurs arrive.

Milkweed — the monarch's plant

Milkweed is the only host for the monarch, whose caterpillars feed on nothing else. Planting milkweed is the single most important thing a gardener can do for monarchs, whose numbers have declined sharply.

Favor native milkweed species where you can, and if you grow the common tropical milkweed, cut it back periodically through the cooler months as recommended to support healthy monarch migration. Either way, milkweed brings monarchs to breed.

Swallowtail hosts

The swallowtails have their own favorites. Black swallowtails use dill, fennel, parsley, and other members of the carrot family, so a few extra herbs in the garden double as host plants. Giant swallowtails use citrus and native wild lime, which is why you may find their caterpillars on a backyard orange tree.

Planting a little extra of these means you can share with the caterpillars and still have herbs and fruit for yourself. The swallowtails are large and spectacular, well worth a few nibbled plants.

Plant hosts and nectar together

The best butterfly gardens combine host plants for breeding with nectar plants for feeding, placed near one another so adults can lay eggs and refuel in the same space. Tuck hosts among the showier nectar plants where their chewed leaves are less noticeable.

We can help you match host plants to the butterflies you want to raise and pair them with the right nectar. Come build your butterfly garden with us at the nursery.

Frequently asked questions