Butterfly Gardening
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Gardening for California native butterflies:
Attracting butterflies to your garden is a rewarding way to foster a healthy population of beneficial insects. Witnessing the arrival of the graceful, multicolored beauties in your yard is evidence that by providing habitat and eliminating the use of chemical sprays, nature can restore balance to itself. Drought tolerant native plants are beneficial for species-specific native butterflies that depend on just one or a few types of plants as larval hosts.
These are some of the native plants we grow that attract butterflies:
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Flower Color | Host | Nectar |
| Annuals | ||||
| Collinsia heterophylla | Chinese houses | Violet / White | x | |
| Lupinus species | Lupine | Blue / White | x | |
| Perennials | ||||
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow | White | x | |
| Asclepias species | Milkweed | Cream | x | x |
| Eriogonum species | Buckwheat | White / Pink / Yellow | x | x |
| Eriophyllum confertiflorum | Golden yarrow | Yellow | x | |
| Isocoma menziesii | Coast goldenbush | Yellow | x | |
| Acmispon glaber | Deerweed | Yellow | x | x |
| Diplacus aurantiacus | Monkeyflower | Buff to Apricot | x | |
| Monardella species | Native mints | Lavender / Red | x | |
| Salvia species | Sage | Purple / White / Red / Pink | x | |
| Solidago californica | Goldenrod | Yellow | x | |
| Verbena lilacina | Lilac verbena | Lavender | x | |
| Viguiera laciniata | San Diego sunflower | Yellow | x | |
| Shrubs and Trees | ||||
| Amorpha fruticosa | False indigo bush | Royal Purple | x | |
| Baccharis pilularis | Coyote bush | Cream | x | |
| Ceanothus species | California lilac | Blue | x | x |
| Cleome isomeris | Bladderpod | Yellow | x | x |
| Lavatera assurgentiflora | Tree mallow | Lavender | x | |
| Platanus racemosa | Western sycamore | White | x | |
| Prunus ilicifolia | Hollyleaf cherry | White | x | |
| Quercus species | Oak | White | x | |
| Rhamnus californica | Coffeeberry | Cream | x | x |
| Ribes species | Currant, Gooseberry | Red / Pink / White | x | |
| Salix species | Willow | Yellow | x | x |
| Senna species | Cassia | Yellow | x | x |
California butterflies & the plants they rely on:
Acmon Blue
- Eriogonum fasciculatum, California buckwheat
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
Afranius Duskywing
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
American Lady
- Achillea millefolium, Yarrow
- Artemisia californica, California sagebrush
- Artemisia douglasiana, Mugwort
Becker’s White:
- Cleome isomeris, Bladderpod
Blue Copper:
- Erigonum fasciculatum, California buckwheat
Boisduval’s Blue:
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
California Dogface:
- Amorpha fruticosa, False indigobush
California Hairstreak:
- Ceanothus spinosus, Greenbark ceanothus
- Ceanothus megacarpus, Big-Pod ceanothus
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak
- Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf cherry
California Sister:
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak
Checkered White:
- Cleome isomeris, Bladderpod
Common Buckeye:
- Mimulus guttatus, Golden monkeyflower
Dainty Sulfur:
- Lasthenia californica, California goldenfields
- Layia platyglossa, Tidy tips
Duskywing:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
Edith’s Checkerspot:
- Diplacus aurantiacus, Sticky monkeyflower
- Mimulus guttatus, Golden monkeyflower
Funereal Duskywing:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
Gabb’s Checkerspot:
- Lessingia filaginifolia, California aster
Golden Hairstreak:
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak
Gorgon Copper:
- Eriogonum fasciculatum, California buckwheat
Gold-Hunter’s Hairstreak:
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak
Gray Hairstreak:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus, Bush mallow
Lorquin’s Admiral:
- Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf cherry
- Salix spp., Willow
- Holodiscus discolor, Ocean spray
Marine Blue:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
Melissa Blue:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
Monarch:
- Asclepias spp., Milkweed
Mournful Duskywing:
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak
Mourning Cloak:
- Salix spp., Willow
- Populus spp., Poplar
- Alnus spp., Alder
Orange Sulfur:
- Amorpha fruticosa, False indigobush
- Lotus scoparius, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
Painted Lady:
- Achillea millefolium, Yarrow
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus, Bush mallow
Pale Swallowtail:
- Ceanothus spinosus, Greenbark ceanothus
- Ceanothus megacarpus, Big-Pod ceanothus
- Holodiscus discolor, Ocean spray;
- Platanus racemosa , California sycamore
- Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf cherry
- Rhamnus californica, California coffeeberry
- Rhamnus crocea, Red berry
- Rhamnus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf red berry
Propertius Duskywing:
- Quercus agrifolia, Coast Live Oak
Queen:
- Asclepias spp., Milkweed
Silver-Spotted Skipper:
- Amorpha fruticosa, False indigo bush
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
Silvery Blue:
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
- Lupinus bicolor, Miniature lupine
Sonoran Blue:
- Dudleya lanceolata, Lance-leaved dudleya
- Dudleya multicaulis, Many-stemmed dudleya
- Dudleya pulverulenta, Chalk dudleya
Spring Azure:
- Adenostoma fasciculatum, Chamise
- Aesculus californica, California buckeye
- Ceanothus spp., California lilac
Striated Queen:
- Asclepias spp., Milkweed
Variable Checkerspot:
- Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon
- Mimulus aurantiacus, Sticky monkeyflower
- Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf cherry
- Sambucus mexicana, Elderberry
- Symphoricarpos mollis, Creeping snowberry
- Rosa californica, California wild rose
Western Green Hairstreak:
- Ceanothus spinosus, Greenbark ceanothus
- Ceanothus megacarpus, Big-Pod ceanothus
- Acmispon glaber, Deerweed
Western Pygmy-Blue:
- Atriplex species, Saltbush
Western Tiger Swallowtail:
- Salix spp., Willow
- Alnus spp., Alder
- Prunus ilicifolia, Hollyleaf cherry