Most Plants

The butterflies’ larval form, caterpillars, are picky eaters. They will only eat specific types of plants. For example, Monarch butterflies will only lay their eggs on milkweed which is the only food for a Monarch caterpillar. There are at least 7 different types of milkweed in Oklahoma, and they may lay their eggs on any of these milkweed plants. If there is no milkweed available, they will simply not lay any eggs. The Eastern Black Swallowtail is not nearly as picky as the Monarch butterfly. It will lay its eggs on any plant in the carrot or Umbelliferae family that includes parsley, fennel, carrot tops, and Queen Anne’s lace to name a few. It will also lay its eggs on the plant known as rue.

When designing your Pollinator Garden, you will want to think about the various butterflies you will attract and make sure you have several host plants for their eggs.


Nectar Plants

Butterflies prefer flowers with multiple flowers clustered together. Examples of this are clover and bee balm. This cluster allows the butterfly to save energy by simply walking to the next flower for nectar.

A bee’s source of nectar is determined by the length of its tongue. Bumble bees and butterflies both have long tongues. The small, metallic green sweat bee has a very short tongue. Flowers of various sizes will, therefore, attract a greater variety of native bees.

Some bees will only visit a certain group or individual type of flower for their food. They are called specialist bees. About 25% of all the species of bees in North America are specialist bees and dependent on specific native plants for their survival.

Providing blooming flowers from April to October will provide food throughout the season. Providing a variety of nectar plants (8-20 varieties) will attract more pollinators. Groupings of the same host or nectar plant will allow butterflies and native bees to save energy when seeking food or a place to lay eggs.