THE
ESSENTIAL BUTTERFLY GUIDE "There is more to life than the Monarch"
There are hundreds of different
types of butterflies around the world. In the United States, you
will find everything from beautiful colored moths and small garden varieties,
to the classic Swallowtails, Viceroys, and Monarchs. This guide
highlights the most popular butterflies and details which types of
plants will serve to attract them to your garden.
This guide is divided into six
regions defining the common
range of each included species of butterfly
Desert Southwest
Pacific Coast
Midwest
High Plains
New England
THE ESSENTIAL BUTTERFLY GUIDE
The Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Favorite Flowers: Butterfly weed, phlox,
clover, and thistle
Caterpillar Plants: Carrots, parsley, dill,
and celery
Common Range: Southeast, Desert Southwest,
Midwest, New England
The Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Favorite Flowers: Butterfly bush, lilac,
honeysuckle, and butterfly weed
Caterpillar Plants: wild cherry, willow,
cottonwood, and tulip-poplars
Common Range: Nationwide, except Pacific
Coast
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, goldenrod, phlox,
and clover
Caterpillar Plants: Clover and alfalfa
Common Range: Nationwide, except Florida,
Texas, and California
Checkered White (Pontia protodice)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, butterfly weed, and
centaury
Caterpillar Plants: Mustard, turnips,
cabbages, and beeplant
Common Range: Nationwide, except for western
Washington State
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, butterfly weed, and
centaury
Caterpillar Plants: Dogwood, viburnum,
New-Jersey-tea, and blueberry
Common Range: Nationwide, except for south
and central Texas
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
Favorite Flowers: Lantana, impatiens,
shepherd's needle, and thistle
Caterpillar Plants: Passion vines
Common Range: Desert Southwest, Southeast,
Wisconsin, California
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Favorite Flowers: Thistle, aster, and
gloriosa daisy
Caterpillar Plants: Aster
Common Range: Nationwide, except Pacific
Coast
Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, coreopsis, knapwee,
and chicory
Caterpillar Plants: Plantain, snapdragon and
toadflax
Common Range: Nationwide, except High Plains
More Butterfly Varieties and
their Favored Plants
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Favorite Flowers: Milkweed, lantana, lilac,
cosmos, goldenrod and zinnia
Caterpillar Plants: Milkweed
Common Range: Nationwide
American Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
Favorite Flowers: Butterfly weed, goldenrod, yarrow, and buttercup
Caterpillar Plants: Sheep sorrel and curled
dock
Common Range: Midwest, New England
The Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)
Favorite Flowers: Lantana, zinnia, butterfly
bush, lily-of-the-nile
Caterpillar Plants: Carrot, fennel, anise,
parsley
Common Range: High Plains, Pacific Coast
The Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Favorite Flowers: Honeysuckle, lantana,
azalea, butterfly weed
Caterpillar Plants: Spicebush and sassafras
Common Range: Southeast, Desert Southwest,
Midwest, New England
European Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae)
Favorite Flowers: Lantana, impatiens,
marigold,
mint, and dandelion
Caterpillar Plants: Cabbage, cauliflower,
broccoli, radish, and nasturtium
Common Range: Nationwide
The Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Favorite Flowers: Honeysuckle, azalea,
goldenrod, orange trees
Caterpillar Plants: Citrus trees, including
oranges
Common Range: Southeast, Desert Southwest,
Midwest
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Favorite Flowers: Butterfly weed, clover,
shepherd's needle, and milkweed
Caterpillar Plants: Violets, passion vine,
and stonecrop
Common Range: Desert Southwest, Southeast,
High Plains, Midwest, New England
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
Favorite Flowers: Goldenrod, milkweed,
clover,
and winter cress
Caterpillar Plants: Hibiscus, clover, mallow,
and
vetch
Common Range: Nationwide
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, cosmos, thistle, and
buttonbush
Caterpillar Plants: Thistle, mallow, and
hollyhock
Common Range: Nationwide
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
Favorite Flowers: Gloriosa daisy, thistle,
verbena, and butterfly weed
Caterpillar Plants: Violets
Common Range: High Plains, Midwest, New
England, Washington and Oregon
Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
Favorite Flowers: Aster, fleabane, knapweed,
and shepherd's needle
Caterpillar Plants: Mallow and hollyhock
Common Range: Nationwide
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Favorite Flowers: Zinnia, honeysuckle,
butterfly
weed, joe-pyeweed
Caterpillar Plants: Locust
Common Range: Nationwide, except for
southern Texas, Arizona, and Nevada
Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)
Favorite Flowers: Marigold, aster, butterfly
weed,
and buttonbush
Caterpillar Plants: Bermuda grass and
crabgrass
Common Range: Southeast, Desert Southwest,
Midwest, California
Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)
Favorite Flowers: Statice, aster, lantana,
marigold, and ironweed
Caterpillar Plants: Bermuda grass and
crabgrass
Common Range: Southeast, Desert Southwest,
Midwest, California
Other Butterfly Varieties
This simple listing of many of the other
species illustrates the dozens of varieties that can be found
within the United States. Beyond these, there are also thousands of varieties
that one can find around
the world, many of which are endemic to certain countries, regions, or even
found only in a certain forest!
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