15 Beautiful Garden Plants to Attract Butterflies
Butterflies are delightful garden visitors, and some plants are particularly good at attracting them. Adding these to your outdoor space will not only benefit you, it will also be a boost to these beautiful animals themselves, by providing them with pollen and nectar. Plus, butterflies are often attracted to vibrant hues, so planting flowers that they like will almost always add new, brilliant colors to your garden!
The Common lantana is a flowering plant that grows best in tropical environments. It spread outside the Americas when the Dutch brought it to Europe. The plant is generally regarded as an unwanted weed that reduces biodiversity. Additionally, it is toxic to livestock and harms the output of farmland.
The Tulip tree is not a poplar at all but is a member of the magnolia family. It gets its name from the tulip-shaped flowers that are green and yellow. It is the tallest Eastern hardwood and was prized by Native Americans as a favorite tree to use to make dugout canoes.
Buddleja davidii, commonly known as Butterfly bush , is a fast-growing shrub native to East Asia. This vigorous plant is usually cultivated as an ornamental, due to its extravagant purple inflorescences. It carries the name Butterfly bush because its flowers are a valuable source of nutritious nectar for numerous butterfly species.
The Trumpet vine is a flowering plant that climbs as it grows. It gets its nickname from its bright flowers, which are shaped like long trumpet bells. The shape matches them well with the hummingbirds that love to visit for the nectar. The Trumpet vine is originally native to eastern North America.
Catalpa bignonioides, commonly known as Southern catalpa, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to North America. This species is widely used for ornamental purposes due to its favorable growing qualities and magnificent clusters of showy flowers.
Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria aurea) is a tuberous perennial with stunning orchid-like flowers, most commonly cultivated as an ornamental. Flowers are usually yellow to orange, spotted or striped. They are often visited by bees, butterflies and other pollinators. A number of varieties have been selected over the years to create greater diversity of flower colors.
Albizia julibrissin, colloquially known as Persian silk tree, is a deciduous plant with characteristic pink, fuzzy inflorescences. Persian silk tree is mainly cultivated for decorative purposes. Its flowers have a mild, sweet smell and are often visited by butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Arbutus unedo is an evergreen shrub or a small tree native to Europe. It is colloquially called Strawberry tree because its bright red fruits somewhat resemble strawberries. The fruits of this lovely plant are very nutritious and full of sugar, which is why they are mostly used for making jams, pastries, fruit yogurts, and alcoholic beverages.
The Common snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is a flowering perennial that is commonly cultivated as an annual or biennial ornamental plant. When the throats of its flowers are squeezed together, its lips snap open like a dragon’s mouth; this is the origin of the common name. The Common snapdragon’s speedy cultivation and ease of pollination made it a good target for research, so it has now become a model organism for plant genetics studies.
Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) is a flowering shrub native to the Mediterranean region. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and it often adorns winter gardens. When little else is growing during cold days of winter, Laurustinus produces numerous clusters of tiny white flowers.
Marvel of peru (Mirabilis jalapa), also known as the marvel of Peru, is a perennial, herbaceous, bushy plant with fragrant, showy flowers, commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes. During bloom time, its flowers are closed most of the day; they open between four and eight o’clock, hence the common name Four o’clock flower.
Hibiscus moscheutos, colloquially known as Crimsoneyed rose-mallow, is a common ornamental plant, a vigorous cold-hardy perennial which thrives in moisty soils. Its showy white to pink flowers are often visited by pollinators. Crimsoneyed rose-mallow is a larval host of various butterfly and moth species.
Crimson bottlebrush is a shrub commonly found in swamps and near rivers. The source of the common name is easily seen in its flowers’ appearance. Those flowers produce sweet nectar which attracts numerous species of birds. The specific epithet, “citrinus,” was given because the Crimson bottlebrush’s leaves give off a citrus-like scent when crushed.
The Garden phlox is a flowering plant that is native to the United States. The name, phlox, comes from the Latin for “flame,” reflecting its bright colors. Garden phlox flowers can become important food sources for insects and hummingbirds.
Mandevilla sanderi, colloquially known as Brazilian jasmine, is an ornamental perennial vine native to South America. Its velvety flowers are most often white, scarlet or pink in color. Brazilian jasmine contains white latex, which is toxic and can have an irritating effect when it comes in contact with skin or eyes.