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Butterfly Garden

Early spring butterfly plants for New England

17 years ago

I'm trying to add more early-spring blooming plants for butterflies and pollinators. I am on the cold end of zone 5 in New England. I do have some Trilliums and Marsh Marigold as well as Phlox. Any other suggestions? I prefer natives but if something is not native and not ecologically destructive, I'll consider it. Are there any readily available spring bulbs other than crocus that attract butterflies?

Thanks..

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Comments (9)

ben_birding
17 years ago
I would say some type of native violets are your best bet right now.
Let me know if this link doesn't work, but here are some local native/introduced violets. It will say if they are native, on the pages that are linked to. Most are native though. They are host plants of some butterflies too(Fritillaries, mostly)

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Plant Seach, Maine, Violets.
susanlynne48
17 years ago
I had started a chart to try to grow some early blooming wildflowers for the butterflies, and here are some things I came up with:

Alliums
Snapdragons
Rose Verbena (Glandularia Canadensis)
Barbara's Buttons (Marshallia caespetosa)
Phlox drummundii (Native Phlox)
Porterweeds
Thalictrums (Meadow Rue)
Wisteria
Spring Beauty (claytonia)
Clovers (trifolium)
Dianthus
Alyssum
Dandelions (yes!)

There are also a lot of shrubs that bloom early, like viburnums, forsythia, spicebush, abelias, winter hazels, fothergillas, kerrias, ribes (currants), lilacs, dogwoods (tree), weigelias, Mock Oranges, Flowering Almond.

A lot of shrubs and trees flower early in the season so keep an eye on what your neighbors or residents in your city have growing and flowering early spring.

Susan
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ellen_s
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks BenBirding..as it happens we have violets that seed themselves all over the place here, so I will make sure hubby doesn't attack them with the weedwhacker as he is wont to do :-)

Susanlynne48..thanks for your list. I am hoping to include as many native plants as I can, so Spring Beauty is a good one. One thing though..I think Phlox drummundii is native to Texas and that area of the US, so wouldn't have the ecologic benefit as plants native to New England. But..it is a good butterfly plant so I'll include it in my list!! Phlox drummundii is an annual in my region so it needs to be started indoors now to get blooms in summer.

Is Serviceberry (Amelanchier) a good butterfly plant? I have several of them growing and they grow lots of berries, so I know there are insects polllinating them..do butterflies use them?

Ellen
susanlynne48
17 years ago
Serviceberries (amelanchier) are supposed to provide nectar, but since I don't have one, can't really verify. My itea virginica blooms in early spring, too, and is very fragrant, and does attract some butterflies.

Susan
emmayct
17 years ago
Of course, let's not forget the hosts for one of our earliest butterflies, the cabbage white. Don't laugh, I used to hate them as a veggie gardener, but as a butterfly nut, I love to see them in early spring since they come when so few other butterflies are around.

Also, clover for the clouded sulphurs.

Someone here in CT reported seeing an Eastern Comma last week. Morning Cloaks are also very early. Both tend to feed on tree sap this time of the year. I wonder if a feeder plate would attract them so early?

Last year I saw my first Eastern Tiger nectaring on dandelion. A lot of people report them on lilacs but I've never seen this.

Ellen, glad to see another New Englander here on the forum.

Maryann
linda_centralokzn6
17 years ago
Good list, Susan. But, I don't think that you meant to include "Porterweed" as a native. It is tropical in Zone 7.

The Amsonias are supposed to be magnets for the earlier butterflies. Check to see if they are native to the eastern U.S. And, they do love the wild, native flowering plums. I do get Tigers when my lilacs bloom. And, what about the Prairie and Golden Ragworts? I do not know if they are native to the eastern U.S.

Good luck, Ellen. Keep us posted on what you decide. :)
ellen_s
Original Author
17 years ago
Maryann, I've seen Tiger Swallowtails on lilac in the past.

I found out that one of the plants I have here (a native groundcover called Bearberry - Arctosaphylos uva-ursi - is a spring bloomer and also the host for the Brown Elfin caterpillar. I'll watch it this year to see if I see anything on it.
emmayct
17 years ago
Ellen, you just reminded me that last year I saw juvenal's duskywings nectaring on native blueberry early on. I also took a trip to East Rock in New Haven and saw falcate orangetips on rockcress. I seem to remember seeing early Spicebush on a wild kind of monarda, fistulosa perhaps?

Do you belong to the NABA chapter there? The Mass group seems pretty active. I joined the CT Butterfly Association last year and have found it to be very interesting.
ellen_s
Original Author
17 years ago
Maryann - thanks for the info about NABA..I will check them out. I like to write about gardening for butterflies which is why I'm compiling a list of good butterfly plants for New England.

re: Cabbage White...I believe those are an introduced species? Shame because we have a lot of them.

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