A butterfly garden should include a variety of plants that provide nectar for adult butterflies and food for caterpillars. Planting a mix of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals can create layers for butterflies to discover nectar sources at different levels. Some annual plants for butterflies include alyssum, ageratum, gomphrena, heliotrope, lantana, pentas, salvia, Verbena bonariensis and zinnia. Some good perennials that will serve as nectar sources include black-eyed Susan, blazing star (Liatris), butterfly bush, coneflower, New England aster, and phlox.
In addition to nectar sources, it’s essential to provide food for caterpillars. Each species of butterfly needs a specific type of food plant for its caterpillars to eat. Recommended plants to provide food for caterpillars include birch, cherry, dill, hollyhock, hackberry, plum, sweet mockorange, viburnum, and willow.