By Andrew Bunting, PHS VP of Horticulture 

Butterflies bring beauty, movement, and color to the garden while playing an important role as pollinators. As they feed on nectar, butterflies transfer pollen between flowers, helping many plants reproduce. Unfortunately, many butterfly populations, including monarch butterflies, have declined due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. 

The good news is that even a small butterfly garden can make a difference. By planting native plants for butterflies, providing nectar-rich flowers throughout the growing season, and including host plants where caterpillars can develop, you can create valuable habitat that supports butterflies at every stage of their life cycle. 

Whether you're starting with a backyard garden, a community garden plot, or a few containers on a patio, this guide will show you how to create a butterfly garden that attracts monarch butterflies and many other pollinators. 

Why Butterfly Gardening Matters 

A butterfly garden is more than a beautiful landscape feature; it's an important habitat that helps support biodiversity. 

As natural habitats disappear, butterflies have fewer places to find food, lay eggs, and complete their life cycle. Gardens planted with native flowers and host plants help reconnect fragmented habitats, creating valuable habitat corridors that butterflies can use as they move through neighborhoods and communities. These are especially important for migrating monarch butterflies. 

Butterfly gardening also benefits other pollinators, including native bees and beneficial insects, while creating opportunities for gardeners of all ages to observe nature up close. Even planting just a few butterfly-friendly species can provide meaningful food and shelter throughout the growing season. 

Every butterfly garden, no matter its size, contributes to a larger network of habitat that helps reconnect fragmented landscapes. This idea is at the heart of ecologist Doug Tallamy's Homegrown National Park® movement, which encourages homeowners to replace portions of traditional lawns with native plants that support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Your garden can become part of this growing nationwide effort to restore biodiversity one yard at a time. 

How to Create a Butterfly Garden  

Creating a successful butterfly garden means providing everything butterflies need, including nectar for adults to host plants for caterpillars and sheltered places to rest. 

1. Choose a Sunny Location 

Butterflies are cold-blooded insects and depend on the sun to warm their bodies before they can fly. Choose a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight each day and is protected from strong winds. Open spaces where butterflies can easily land and move between flowers work best. 

2. Plant Nectar Flowers Throughout the Seasons 

Adult butterflies need a continuous supply of nectar from spring through fall. Planting flowers with staggered bloom times ensures there's always something in bloom. 

Spring 

Planning for pollinators in May is crucial following the winter season. Start spring with early nectar sources such as: 

• Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis 
• Golden ragwort, Packera aurea 
• Wild geranium, Geranium maculatum 

Summer 

Summer is when butterfly gardens are at their peak. Excellent nectar plants include: 

• Milkweeds, Asclepias 
• Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea 
• Pale purple coneflower, Echinacea pallida 
• Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium fistulosum 

Fall 

Late-season flowers provide critical food for migrating butterflies, including monarch butterflies. 

Plant: 

• Native asters, Symphyotrichum 
• Goldenrods, Solidago 

3. Add Host Plants for Caterpillars 

One of the biggest differences between a flower garden and a butterfly garden is the inclusion of host plants. 

While nectar plants feed adult butterflies, host plants provide places for butterflies to lay their eggs and food for developing caterpillars. 

Milkweeds, Asclepias, are essential for monarch butterflies. Female monarch butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed, and the caterpillars feed on its leaves before forming their chrysalis. 

Other host plants include: 

• Native violets, Viola 
• Spicebush, Lindera benzoin 

Expect to see some leaves chewed...that's a sign your butterfly garden is working! 

4. Provide Water, Shelter, and Resting Spaces 

Butterflies need more than flowers to thrive. Include shallow water sources, such as a birdbath with stones or a puddling station where butterflies can safely drink. Flat rocks placed in sunny areas also provide warm resting spots. 

Surround your butterfly garden with shrubs or small trees to provide shelter from wind and predators. Leaving some natural leaf litter in the garden also creates habitat for overwintering insects and helps support a healthy ecosystem. 

5. Skip the Pesticides 

One of the most important steps in butterfly gardening is avoiding pesticides. 

Insecticides don't distinguish between pests and beneficial insects. Products sprayed on ornamental plants, including roses, can kill butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and adult butterflies. Birds that feed on contaminated insects may also be affected. 

Instead, practice integrated pest management and learn to tolerate a little leaf damage. Those chewed leaves often mean your garden is supporting the next generation of butterflies. 

Best Native Plants for Butterfly Gardens 

The milkweeds, Asclepias, are the quintessential host plants for monarch butterflies. The entire plant supports the monarch butterfly's life cycle. Eggs are laid on the leaves, where the larvae hatch and develop into caterpillars while feeding on the foliage. The caterpillars then form a chrysalis, and after 10–14 days, emerge as monarch butterflies that also feed on the nectar of milkweed flowers. 

In the Mid-Atlantic or Zone 7, there are several common milkweed species that are excellent additions to a butterfly garden, including the common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, with its big, bold leaves and light to dark pink flowers that bloom in June and July. For moist areas, the swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata, is an excellent choice, while the iconic butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, produces vivid orange flowers from June through August. 

Other Monarch Butterfly Nectar Food Sources 

In addition to milkweeds, these native perennials provide valuable nectar for monarch butterflies: 

• Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium fistulosum 
• Wild bergamot, Monarda fistulosa 
• Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta 
• Dense blazing star, Liatris spicata 
• Narrow-leaved mountain mint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium 
• New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 
• New York ironweed, Vernonia noveboracensis 
• Wreath goldenrod, Solidago caesia 

Excellent Shrubs for Monarch Butterflies 

Native shrubs also provide nectar and shelter for monarch butterflies. Excellent choices include: 

• Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis 
• Eastern Baccharis, Baccharis halimifolia 
• Wild plum, Prunus americana 
• Pussy willow, Salix discolor

Below is a quick guide to help you choose nectar plants for specific varieties of butterflies.

Common Butterfly Gardening Mistakes 

When creating a butterfly garden, it is important to avoid the following pitfalls: 

• Planting nectar flowers without including host plants for caterpillars. In addition to plants that have nectar-rich flowers for the feeding butterflies, it is important to have host plants that will be a food source for the caterpillars. 

• Planting flowers that bloom during only one season. For flowering plants, make sure there is a regular nectar source from early spring through late fall. Having a continuum of flowering plants that can feed the various species of butterflies is important. 

• Replacing natural leaf litter with excessive mulch. Instead of using shredded bark mulch, try using a more natural leaf litter as a mulch. 

• Using pesticides or insecticides. Most importantly, stop the use of pesticides in the garden. Learn to not only accept insects eating leaves but take the mindset of encouraging this type of feeding. 

Tip: For more information on embracing biodiversity in your backyard, check out this blog post! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What plants attract monarch butterflies? 

Milkweeds, Asclepias,, it are the most important plants for monarch butterflies because they serve as both a host plant for caterpillars and a nectar source for adults. Other excellent nectar plants include Joe-Pye weed, blazing star, asters, and goldenrods. 

What's the difference between nectar plants and host plants? 

Nectar plants provide food for adult butterflies, while host plants are where butterflies lay eggs and where caterpillars feed. A successful butterfly garden includes both. 

Can I create a butterfly garden in a small yard? 

Yes. Even a small garden bed or a few containers planted with nectar flowers and host plants can provide valuable habitat for butterflies and other pollinators. 

When should I plant a butterfly garden? 

Spring and fall are generally the best times to plant perennials, shrubs, and trees. Including plants that bloom from spring through fall will provide nectar throughout the growing season. 

Every Butterfly Garden Makes a Difference 

Creating a butterfly garden is one of the most rewarding ways to support local wildlife while adding beauty to your landscape. By planting native plants for butterflies, providing nectar throughout the growing season, and including host plants for caterpillars, you'll create habitat that benefits monarch butterflies and many other pollinators. 

Whether you plant an entire garden or simply add a few native flowers, every butterfly-friendly planting contributes to healthier ecosystems, greater biodiversity, and a more vibrant garden.