Wish to have a lot of butterflies in your garden? For that, you need to grow plants that attract butterflies. Don’t know what are those? Well, we got you covered in this article. Keep reading! 

Butterflies are wonderful creature on earth that brings colorful joy. It is always mesmerizing to watch these beautiful butterflies flying in gardens. But as we all know, butterflies don’t roam on all kinds of plants.

They are pollinators attracted by fragrance, colorful flowers, and sweet nectar of flowers. So, if you want to attract butterflies to your garden, keep reading as we will discuss some plants that attract butterflies. But before that, why you should grow a butterfly garden? Let’s check it out! 

Also read: 50 Beautiful Types of Flowers with Pictures

Why do You Need to Grow Plants that Attract Butterflies?

Well, there are a lot of reasons to grow a butterfly garden, and some of them are as follows that will definitely make you grow such plants. 

Cop Up With Damage

The survival of butterflies has been thwarted by people all of the time. We have been destroying their habitats at an exponentially increasing rate, which has caused the decrease and even extinction of some butterfly species.

We owe the butterflies support because we are such lousy cohabitation practitioners; our widespread use of insecticides and herbicides has killed out the butterfly species all across the planet.

Also read: 30 Beautiful Types of Red Flowers with Pictures

Easy to Set

Butterflies gardens are easy to understand. If you enjoy gardening, it can be simple. 

It’s Attractive 

Who can dispute that coming into their garden is like entering the most idyllic dream, with fragrant, pleasant, colorful flowering plants housing lovely, delicate butterflies? However, this kind of garden adornment is not wholly self-serving. The butterflies receive a place to live, and you get a gorgeous setting.

How to Make Garden Butterfly-Friendly?

There are many things that you can do to make your garden that butterflies would love. However, being a beginner, here are some basic steps to make your garden butterfly-friendly:

Water

Butterflies require water, just like any other living thing. Although they love to drink from muddy, squishy regions, a modest bowl will do just fine. To provide landing spots for their delicate bodies, consider soaking sponges in freshwater and placing them near the bowl.

Food

Butterflies have similar demands to humans regarding food, water, and housing. The vegetation in the garden will provide the butterflies with nourishment. Two types of plants are required to sustain a butterfly garden: hosting and feeding plants.

Butterfly eggs are laid on host plants. Once the eggs hatch, these also serve as nourishment for the growing caterpillar. Nectar plants provide nourishment for mature butterflies.

Shelter

Butterfly prefers open, sunny settings, so ensure that the garden is accessible and gets adequate light. Find a way to shade them first from the wind as far as you can.

Best Plants That Attract Butterflies in Garden

Until now, you have learned why you need to have plants that attract butterflies and how you can create one. However, the most important part of the article is about what are the plants that attract butterflies, right? 

So, here are some of the common varieties of plants that can attract butterflies. Keep reading! 

Butterfly Bushes

Another excellent approach to attracting butterflies to the garden is to plant a butterfly bush. This plant is sometimes referred to as buddleja or buddleia. This shrub’s pinkish, crimson, white, lavender, or yellow flowers are highly alluring to butterflies. 

Butterfly bushes feature multiple flowers where butterflies will land, and they grow swiftly. Depending on your location, these shrubs will normally bloom from summer to fall.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Azalea 

Lavender 

Lavender is a stunning violet plant that draws butterflies and has a nice scent and relaxing effects. By planting lavender, you may add a natural air purifier to your yard, and you’ll soon notice butterflies buzzing around.

If you fancy purple color flowers, you should check out how to grow Sweet peas flowers that you would love in your garden. 

Swamp Milkweed

If you understand something about butterflies, you are aware that milkweed is one of their main food sources. Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter what kind of milkweed you use; any milkweed added to your garden will attract butterflies.

Swamp milkweeds are attractive flowers with a strong fragrance and make your garden scent wonderful. The flower clusters are colored pink to purple.

Love a lot of colors in your garden? Check out these beautiful varieties of Hibiscus flowers. 

Heliotrope

A few generations earlier, heliotropes were fashionable plants, and now they are becoming increasingly popular. The increase in popularity is related to how butterflies gravitate toward them.

You could hear from someone else that heliotropes are being planted again because of their wonderful scent. This plant has lovely dark green foliage and purple and blue blossoms. These blossoms typically have a scent of vanilla, baby powder, grape, and cherry pie.

Hydrangeas are another popular plant that comes in varied colors of beautiful flowers. You should check out our guide on how to grow Hydrangeas. 

Aster

They require so little upkeep compared to other plants; asters are relatively simple to maintain. They must be planted in a location with direct sunlight, although they are surprisingly drought-resistant once established.

This is one of the beautiful flower plants that has been featured in our list of 50 most beautiful flowers all around the world. Do check to find other types of plants. 

Oregano

Like people, butterflies enjoy a variety of herbs. You may collect oregano from your garden rather than purchasing it from a store, and it also attracts butterflies to the backyard.

If you want to fill up space in the garden, oregano is the ideal plant to use. You’ll gather the herb rather frequently, and it’s simple to grow. Because they appreciate the nectar, flycatcher butterflies frequently visit oregano plants.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Cardamom

Pot Marigolds

Some of the absolute cheapest plants that draw butterflies are pot marigolds. Toddlers can help you grow them because they are simple to care for and plant.

These summertime blooming flowers have brilliant orange and yellow petals that go well with the warm weather. While they are simple to develop and maintain, bear in mind that intense heat tends to hasten their demise.

Also Read: How to Grow Rajnigandha Flower

Blazing Star Flowers

Native to the United States, blazing star flowers, sometimes known as laities, may draw butterflies. If you need to become more familiar with either of these names, you may also know this shrub as gayfeather.

Bee Balm 

A great alternative to the intrusive butterfly bushes is bee balm, an excellent plant for attracting butterflies to your yard. Monarda fistulosa, popularly known as bee balm, is a native of the United States and primarily draws flycatcher butterflies.

Bee balm is often associated with swallowtail butterflies, but because it is rich in nectar, you may also observe a diversity of other butterflies.

Butterfly Weeds 

Orange milkweed is another name for butterfly weed. Large orange flower clusters on the bushy plant are guaranteed to draw attention. The two to five-inch-wide clusters of orange and occasionally yellow blooms are the ideal size for butterflies to savor nectar contentedly.

Fennel

Herbs are an excellent complement to your butterfly garden because you may use the plants in addition to the insects they attract. Popular plant fennel may reach a height of 5 feet and draws a number of butterflies.

It’s unclear why fennel attracts butterflies and other insects in such large numbers, but after you plant it, you’ll start to notice them gathering around the plant.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Curry Leaf Plant

Black Eyed Susans

With black cores and dazzling yellow petals two to three inches wide, these yellow perennial blooms mimic daisies in many respects.

They make a beautiful plant for your garden and look equally lovely in a vase indoors. They usually last for 6 to 10 days before actually starting to wilt if you choose to cut any of these blossoms to bring indoors.

Salvia 

Consider growing in your yard several different species of salvia. Fall sage, Mexican bush sage, mountainous sage, and more varieties are available. No matter which salvia kind you favor, you can count on seeing some butterflies in your garden.

Also Read: How to Take Proper Care for Orchids

Lantana 

Lantana is one of the most significant plants to entice butterflies because of its clusters of little blooms, which give butterflies a secure place to land.

The tiny flower clusters are vibrantly colored, including yellow, lavender, magenta, and orange. The collections frequently blend two or three hues, giving your yard a genuinely one-of-a-kind plant.

Also Read: How to Grow and Care Passiflora Caerulea (Blue Passionflower)

Pentas

The Penta is a flowering shrub that can reach heights of six feet and a width of three feet. Due to the appearance of the flowers, some people refer to them as Egyptian stars, while Pentas can also be used to describe them.

Pentas typically feature pinkish, white, or red blooms, but cultivators have created new blooms that blend these hues. This comprises lavender flowers as well as pink Pentas with red centers.

Also Read: 30 Beautiful Types of Red Flowers with Pictures

Chocolate Cosmos

The chocolate cosmos, a flowering plant, might not always taste exactly like chocolate, yet they have a chocolate-like aroma. These blooms, indigenous to Mexico, are darkish red and brown and smell deliciously like chocolate. For people, they are really beautiful flowers.

The color of these flowers looks like Black Dahlias. Yes, Black Dahlias are real. Do check out how to grow and care for Black Dahlias. 

Firebush

The perennial plant known as firebush is indigenous to South America, South Florida, and Central America. Mexican firebush, red bush, dynamite shrub, and hummingbirds bush are other names for firebush. Despite being referred to as a “hummingbird bush,” it doesn’t just draw hummingbirds. Wherever firebush is cultivated, butterflies are known to appear.

Sunflowers

Numerous butterflies love sunflowers as a favorite flower. They are popular among novice gardeners, including kids, because they are simple to grow and maintain. As you are undoubtedly already aware, butterflies adore flowers and other plants that offer a stable surface for them to settle on. Large flowers like sunflowers have a firm center that butterflies may perch on.

Many insects love sunflowers in addition to butterflies. Sunflowers are a favorite food of several subspecies of caterpillars. While watching caterpillars munch and ultimately spin a cocoon in the landscape may be enjoyable, you should keep an eye on the sunflowers for any potential long-term damage.

Do you know sunflower is a great companion plant for eggplants as well? There are many other eggplant companion plants as well, do check them out in our article. 

Blue Star

Butterflies are drawn to a particular variety of wildflowers called blue stars. When planting such wildflowers in the backyard, you don’t need to be concerned about them receiving too much sunshine because they typically grow as long as they have access to it. Although typically blue, these flowers sometimes have golden tones in the fall.

Blue stars in your yard will give you peace of mind if you reside in a deer-populated area. They are protected against damage caused by rabbits and other herbivores.

Phlox

The Phlox is a North American native flower with a star form. While some will blossom amid the summer, they typically blossom in the early spring. Phlox comes in several varieties, including the candy stripe variety, which has pink and white blooms, and the emerald blue variety, which produces blue or lilac flowers.

You may anticipate butterflies and insects visiting your yard regardless of the variety of phlox you decide to grow. Choose a mildew-resistant phlox if you intend to plant it in your yard to avoid future problems.

Also, have a look at our guide on how to grow and care for creeping phlox. 

Hollyhocks

The hollyhock comprises blossoms and other vegetation from the mallow family. There are various hollyhock varieties. Some are used as land cover, while others can reach heights of up to nine feet.

Hollyhocks come in various colors, including lavender, white, black, yellow, peach, pink, and red. Each garden can have a hollyhock thanks to the variety of colors available.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Hibiscus

Daylily

For many years, daylilies have been a favorite among gardeners. At first, there were just 15 kinds of daylilies, and they were all indigenous to Europe. More than 35,000 hybridization species exist today. Daylilies are straightforward to take care of, like many other plants that draw butterflies. Even some claim these flowers can withstand some neglect before passing away.

These flowers attract butterflies because they bloom into a stunning web of red and orange. You should plant dwarf varieties in the yard such that they will receive roughly six hours of direct sunlight each day.

Coneflower

Coneflowers, called echinacea, will draw butterflies, bees, and birds to your yard. These plants’ cone-line centers during bloom give rise to their name. The kernels in the center of the cone line attract bees, butterflies, & hummingbirds to the blossoms.

This plant has a rapid growth rate and blooms from summer until the initial frost. They can withstand the heat easily and go for a short period without watering.

Sea Holly

Sea holly is one of the most distinctive and stunning vegetation you should add to the landscape. The blossoms are a magnificent shade of silver & blue, and they will make you the envy of the neighborhood and a favorite with butterflies.

If you wish to put flowers sea holly in a vase inside your home, they last for a few days before fading because of their lengthy bloom duration.

Floss Flowers

Although you might come across some variations of lavender, white, or pink, floss blooms are typically blue. Keep floss blossoms hydrated when taking care of them. These flowers are prone to drying out, and a dried-out blossom repels butterflies.

You ought to be good to go as long as you maintain your floss flowers hydrated and in direct sunlight. One point to keep in mind regarding flossing flowers would be that if they are not kept well divided, they can affect your neighboring flowers like a weed.

Bottom Line: Plant that Attracts Butterflies

These are some of the best plants that attract butterflies. The greatest technique to draw butterflies is to choose bushes that have nectar. Just be careful to avoid intentionally trying to draw particular butterflies to vegetable plots where you intend to collect them. You can grow these plants to attract butterflies in your garden spaces. 

Do you have any of these plants in your garden? Do the plants grown in your garden attract butterflies? Would you think of growing these plants that attract butterflies? We would love to hear from you. Till then, happy gardening!