Plants that attract butterflies
- Joana Alves Gomes
- Sep 30
- 2 min read
Spring has arrived, and with it, flowers and butterflies.
Did you know that you can attract more butterflies to your garden with the help of certain plants?
Butterflies seek out flowers with strong colors, sweet scents, and nectar to feed on. They also look for plants where they can lay eggs and on which their larvae can feed (host plants).
Eis alguns exemplos:
- Achillea millefolium, Common yarrow
climate/Light: Partial shade or full sun;
bloom: May to August;
height: 0.7 m.
- Cosmos bipinnatus, Mexican Aster
climate/Light: Partial shade or full sun;
flowering: Spring and summer;
height: 0.6 to 1.2 m.
- Helianthus annuus, Sunflower
climate/Light: Full sun
blooming: Spring and summer;
height: Can grow up to 2 m.
- Hibiscus spp., Rose of Sharon
climate/light: sun;
flowering: spring and summer, can bloom year-round under ideal conditions.
height: up to 5 m.
- Lavandula officinalis, Lavender
climate/light: sun;
flowering: summer;
height: 90 cm.
- Lantana camara, Lantana
climate/light: sun;
bloom: year-round, comes in a variety of colors;
height: 0.5–2.0 m.
- Lilium spp., Lily
climate/Light: Partial shade or full sun;
flowering: Late spring and summer;
height: 0.6 to 1.0 m.
- Narcissus spp., Daffodil
climate/Light: Partial shade to full sun;
flowering: Spring;
height: 0.5 m.
- Passiflora spp. Passion fruit
climate/light: sun;
flowering: summer;
height: climbing plant.
- Petunia integrifolia, Petunia
climate/light: sun;
flowering: summer;
height: 0.4 m.
- Salvia officinalis, Common Sage
climate/Light: Partial shade or direct sun;
flowering: Late spring and summer;
height: 0.3 to 0.9 m.
- Syringa vulgaris, Common Lilac
climate/light: sun;
flowering: April and May;
height: up to 4.0 m.
- Zinnia elegans. Zinia
climate/light: direct sunlight;
flowering: summer and fall;
height: 0.5 to 1.0 m.
In addition to these examples, you can also use snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), honeysuckle (Buddleja davidii), echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), and verbena (Verbena officinalis).
Another way to encourage butterflies to stay in your garden is to have a water source nearby (so they can drink calmly) and create areas protected from strong winds.
Besides the aesthetic value that butterflies add to the garden, they also help pollinate flowers.
Happy Spring!
To learn more about mosquito- and pest-repellent plants in gardens, read this article:
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