Start Your Butterfly Garden Today!

By Tom Allen

Contributing Editor

Birds and Blooms

Fall is a great time to start planting your butterfly garden. Here are some of the best butterfly plants that you can get into the ground right now!

Tom's Top 10

1.      Milkweeds (including butterfly weed). Excellent nectar source; also a host plant for monarchs and queens.

 2.   Butterfly bush (aka Buddleia). Excellent nectar source, especially darker colors.

 3.   Asters. Good nectar source as well as a good host plant.

 4.   Clovers (includes other legumes). Good for both nectar, and as a host plant.

 5.   Coneflowers and daisies. Excellent nectar source.

 6.   Violets. Host plant for fritillaries.

 7.   Willows. Excellent host plant for many butterflies.

 8.   Mallows. Good host plant; may also serve as a nectar source.

 9.   Buckwheats. Good nectar source and good host plant.

10.  Paint brushes. Good host plant for many checkerspot butterflies.