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Butterfly Candy

May 27, 2023
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* Pictures showing butterflies are just showing what the butterfly looks like. They are not pictures of the blooms of the plants.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
  • Native prairie wildflower.
  • Fragrant orange flowers from mid to late summer.
  • Leaves are a food source for Monarch Butterfly larvae.
  • Grows 18-24 Inches x 18-24 Inches
  • Deer Resistant
  • Perennial In Ohio
Ironweed
Vernonia lettermannii
  • Native flower with deep-green thread-like leaves
  • Purple flowers in late summer
  • Grows 2-3 Feet Tall x 2-3 Feet Wide
  • Food source for American Lady Butterfly larvae
  • Perennial In Ohio
The American Lady caterpillars will be most active through early/mid summer. Adults hatch in late summer and will hibernate over winter.
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
  • Native flower with upright stalks bearing slender mint-green foliage
  • Pink flower clusters in summer

    Grows 4-5 Feet tall

  • Food source for Monarch Butterfly larvae
  • Perennial In Ohio

As with most Milkweed, their purpose is two-fold: both providing nectar for adult butterflies and a spot to lay eggs for the caterpillar stage.
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
  • Native flower with deep-green slender foliage
  • 2-3 Inch golden-yellow flowers in summer and early autumn
  • Grows 2-3 Feet Tall and Wide
  • Food source for Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly Larvae
  • Perennial In Ohio
Silvery Checkerspot butterflies will lay their eggs on Rudbeckia in Summer. The caterpillars will overwinter and form their chrysalis in late spring.
Purple Poppy Mallow
Callirhoe involucrata
  • Perennial native to dry soils of the East and Midwest U.S.
  • Bears magenta flowers in late spring
  • Grows 12 Inches Tall x 2-3 Feet Wide
  • Food source for Checkered Skippers larvae
  • Perennial In Ohio
Checkered Skippers will lay eggs in late summer and the caterpillars will hibernate over winter in nests made from leaves.
Common Rue
Ruta graveolens
  • Has blue/green foliage
  • Topped with yellow flowers in summer
  • Grows 2-3 Feet Tall and Wide
  • Larvae plant for Giant Swallowtail larvae
  • Perennial In Ohio
Despite being used as an herb in some parts of the world, the leaves are toxic (please handle with care). The caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail does not seem to mind, though, as they can be often found on this plant in summer.
Woodland Stonecrop
Sedum ternatum
  • Native plant with mint-green succulent leaves
  • Bears white flower clusters in mid/late spring
  • Grows in a groundcover habit 3-6 Inches Tall x 10-12 Inches Wide
  • Perennial In Ohio
  • Larve plant for Variegated Fritillary caterpillars
This is the only native species of Sedum. Perhaps that is how it has become such a specific host plant for the Variegated Fritillary. In North America, it is most common to see this caterpillar active in late summer and early autumn.
 Snapdragon
Antirrhinum majus
  • Bears flower spikes of colors ranging from white to pink, red, yellow, and orange
  • Annual In Ohio
  • Larvae plant for Common Buckeye
The Common Buckeye will lay eggs in early/mid-summer and go through the entire life cycle before flying south in autumn.
Flat-Leaf Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
  • Annual herb that grows well in both gardens and in containers
  • Favorite of Black Swallowtail larvae
This species of butterfly has two life-cycles per year, with one emerging from chrysalis in mid/late spring. Another generation will emerge in late summer.
Mexican Butterfly Weed
Asclepias curassavica
  • Tropical cousin to our native Butterfly Weed
  • Flowers red/orange clusters into autumn
  • Grows 3-4 Feet Tall
  • Annual In Ohio
  • Larvae plant for Monarch caterpillar
Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia
  • Native groundcover with rounded leaves
  • Bears purple flowers in spring
  • Spreads by rhizomes, so give it room to expand with time.
  • Perennial In Ohio
  • Larval plant for Great Spangled Fritillary
The Great Spangled Fritillary lays its eggs in late summer, but you won’t see much of the caterpillars until the next spring went they emerge with Violet’s new growth.
White Clover
Trifolium repens
  • Groundcover of deep green
  • Bears white puffball flowers in late spring.
  • Spreads by branches putting out roots, so give it a little room to expand with time or keep it in a container.
  • Perennial in Ohio
  • Larve plant for Eastern Tailed Blue caterpillars
The Eastern Tailed Blue is small but strikingly beautiful – being one of the few blue butterflies native to Eastern and Midwest U.S. They are low-flying, so they tend to have host plants that flower low to the ground.
Categories: Garden Blog