There are several websites that list butterfly larval hosts. A good one is www.butterfliesandmoths.org You can do a species search or narrow it down to your state or county and it will show you what leps can be found. That site lists a descriptive identification, life history, flight periods, wing span, caterpillars hosts, adult food, habitat and range. Another website is my local NABA (North American Butterfly Association) website. http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/index.html Click on the gardening link then the 'nectar and foodplants' link. From there you will see a .pdf list of butterfly plants and caterpillar food plants. Both are excellent reference sources that are geared for the lower Rio Grande Valley but we get about 320 species here most are the same as from other states so it will be a useful guide to print and keep handy. (I xeroxed and reduced the page size of this list and keep a copy of it inside my Kaufamn Focus Guide - Butterflies of North America) - That is also one of the best butterfly guide books on the market. Another good sight with photos and great larval lists is the Dallas Butterfly site. www.dallasbutterflies.com Click on the 'butterfly gardening' link on that one and you can see a list of Host Plants listed by Butterfly, Host Plants listed by Common Plant Name, Host Plants listed by Botanical Name and Nectar Plants listed by Botanical Name. Excellent printable resources indeed!!! Hope those help you out :o) ~ Cat

Are you aware that you cannot send insects (eggs, larvae, adults) across state lines without a USDA permit?

Thank you all for all of your help!!! Lori, The leaves are alternate. Sam, I looked at the false foxglove, and I don't think the leaves quite match up? Dick, Thank you for going that extra length--linking to the yahoo group! I'll have to look for those plants. I do have ironweed growing in a bed, so I can easily check against that. I'll look into the other two. I was wondering if they could be Harris'. I do have turtlehead in the garden near the meadow. My understanding of BCs is that they feed on the chelone when new larvae, and overwinter as half-grown larvae. When spring comes, they continue their growing and become more liberal in what they will eat. They separate (in their early instars they are communal) and find different plants to eat. The aster makes sense; I do have a lot of asters in that area. I brought them in to raise and see what they will turn into. One has already pupated, and another is getting ready to pupate. I contacted my extension agency, and the master gardner there thought is could be tufted loosestrife. I can't wait to get this mystery figured out. Thank you, thank you all of you!!

The numbered plants are those that somebody on the Butterfly Gardening forum has used to SUCCESSFULLY rear caterpillars to adulthood or has actually observed the caterpillar eating. If there is no numbered plant, then nobody on our forum can vouch for any specific plant. If a butterfly in the list below has no numbered plant, research the plant family shown for hostplant candidates. Several forum members report that using nursery or home-improvement store plants can be poisonous to caterpillars and adult butterflies due to pesticides or other chemicals. You have three main options: 1--raise the plant from seed (best). 2--prune the plant, do not put it in a prominent location, and wait for some new growth before presenting the plant to butterflies (good). 3--buy nursery/store plants, wash them thoroughly (fair; it is hard to get all the chemical off of the plant). SWALLOWTAILS Giant Swallowtail - Citrus family, Rutaceae 1. Ptelea trifoliata - hop tree, wafer ash 2. Zanthoxylum clava-herculis - hercules club 3. Zanthoxylum fagara - wild lime 4. Zanthoxylum americanum - prickly ash 5. Citrus spp. - various species, including cultivated 6. Murraya paniculata - orange jasmine 7. Ruta graveolens - rue 8. Dictamnus albus - gas plant Spicebush Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum - sassafras 4. Lindera benzoin - spicebush 5. Cinnamomum camphora - camphor tree Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars will die if raised on tropical pipevines. Please only use the pipevines on the list. Pipevine Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia macrophylla - big leaf pipevine 2. Aristolochia tomentosa - woolly pipevine 3. Aristolochia serpentaria - Virginia snakeroot 4. Aristolochia californica - California pipevine 5. Aristolochia fimbriata - white-veined Duchman's pipe 6. Aristolochia trilobata - Dutchman's Pipe 7. Aristolochia clematitis - Birthwort 8. Aristolochia watsonii - Desert pipevine Anise Swallowtail - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Pimpinella anisum - anise 2. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 3. Lomatium - parsnip Eastern Black Swallowtail - Rue family, Rutaceae - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Ruta graveolens - rue 2. Anethum graveolens - dill 3. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 4. Petroselinum crispum - parsley 5. Zizia aurea - golden Alexander Palamedes Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum - sassafras Zebra Swallowtail - Pawpaw family, annonaceae 1. Asimina triloba - common pawpaw 2. Asimina pygmaea - dwarf pawpaw 3. Annona muricata - soursop Polydamas Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia elegans - calico flower 2. Aristolochia gigantea - giant pipevine 3. Aristolochia fimbriata - white-veined Duchman's pipe Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Rose family, Rosaceae - Magnolia family, Magnoliaceae - Olive family, Oleaceae 1. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry 2. Liriodendron tulipifera - tulip poplar 3. Ptelea trifoliata - wafer ash, hoptree 4. Fraxinus velutina - Arizona ash tree 5. Magnolia virginiana - sweetbay magnolia Canadian Swallowtail 1. Populus tremuloides - quaking aspen Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail - Cherry family, Prunus - Ash family, Fraxinus - Citrus family, Ptelea 1. Prunus virginiana - chokecherry 2. Ptelea crenulata - California hoptree 3. Ptelea trifoliata - Common hoptree Pale Swallowtail - Buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae 1. Rhamnus californicus - coffeeberry 2. Ceanothus arboreus - California lilac Western Tiger Swallowtail - Willow family, Salicaceae WHITES and SULPHURS Sulphurs - Bean family, fabaceae Cloudless Sulphur 1. Cassia alata - Candlestick plant 2. Senna hebecarpa - wild senna Clouded (Common) Sulphur 1. White or red clover 2. Baptisia australis - wild indigo Orange-barred Sulphur Sleepy Orange 1. Cassia obtusifolia - sicklepod 2. Cassia bicapsularis - Christmas senna 3. Cassia surattensis - glaucous cassia 4. Senna mexicana - Bahama senna 5. Senna ligustrina - privet senna 6. Cassia javanica - apple blossom cassia, pink cassia 7. Chamaechrysta fasciculata - partridge pea 8. Senna alata - Candlestick cassia, candlebush Cabbage White - Mustard family, brassicaceae 1. The garden vegetable cabbage 2. Tropaeolum spp. - nasturtium California Dogface - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha californica - false indigo Dainty Sulphur - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Bidens spp. - Spanish needles Great Southern White - Mustard family, brassicaceae - Nasturtium family, tropaeolaceae - Saltwort family, bataceae Common White - Mustard family, brassicaceae Sara orangetip - Mustard family , brassicaceae Orange (Alfalfa) Sulphur - Bean family, fabaceae GOSSAMERS (blues, coppers, hairstreaks, Harvester) Gray Hairstreak - Mallow family, malvaceae 1. Sida spp. - broomweed 2. Hibiscus moscheutos - swamp rose mallow 3. Hibiscus coccineus - swamp hibiscus/Texas star 4. Desmodium genus - beggarweed 5. Trifolium repens - white clover 6. Medicago sativa - alfalfa Juniper Hairstreak 1. Juniperus virginiana - eastern redcedar Cassius Blue - Leadwort family, plumbaginaceae 1. Plumbago auriculata - leadwort 2. Plumbago scandens - wild plumbago Echo Blue (aka Spring Azure or Summer Azure) - Buckthorn family, rhamnaceae 1. Ceanothus spp. - California buckeye, California lilac Achmon Blue - Wild buckwheat family, polygonaceae 1. Eriogonum spp. - buckwheat Eastern Tailed Blue - clovers 1. Securigera (Coronilla) varia - crown vetch Atala - Zamia family, zamiaceae Great Purple (or Blue) Hairstreak - Mistletoe family, loranthaceae Harvester - In America, our only carnivorous butterfly. They feed on woolly aphids of the genera schizoneura and pemphigus. BRUSH-FOOTS (admirals, fritillaries, crescentspots, checkerspots, anglewings, ladies, tortoiseshells, leafwings, patches) Buckeye - Snapdragon family, scrophulariaceae - Plantain family, plantaginaceae - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Agalinis fasciculata - wild foxglove 2. Dyschoriste spp. - twinflower 3. Ruellia caroliniana - wild petunia 4. Ruellia succulenta - thickleaf wild petunia 5. Verbena hastata - blue vervain 6. Orthocarpus spp. - owl's clover 7. Plantago lanceolata - English plantain/ribgrass 8. Mimulus - monkey flower 9. Linaria vulgaris - butter & eggs 10. Linaria canadensis - blue toadflax 11. Linaria purpurea - purple toadflax 12. Galvezia speciosa - Island bush snapdragon 13. Diascia spp. - twinspur 14. Plantago major - greater or common plantain Most red-flowered and a few blue flowered passifloras will not support the butterflies that use these vines in the United States. Many red-flowered tropical passionvines are on the market. Please do not use them - they are similar enough to our own passionvines that our female butterflies will lay eggs on them, but the caterpillars will soon die. Gulf Fritillary - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora incarnata - maypop 2. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 3. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionflower 4. Passiflora alto - 'Amethyst'/'Lavender Lady'/'Star of Mikan' 5. Passiflora caerulea - blue passionflower/'Waterloo Blue' 6. Passiflora incarnata x cinnicata - incense passionflower 7. Passiflora vitifolia x caerulea - passionflower 'Lady Margaret' 8. Passiflora biflora - twin flower passionflower Zebra Longwing - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 2. Passiflora biflora - two-flower passionvine 3. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionvine 4. Passiflora incarnata - purple passionflower or Maypops Ruddy Daggerwing - Fig family, moraceae 1. Ficus aurea - Florida strangler fig 2. Ficus citrifolia - wild banyan 3. Ficus benjamina - weeping fig 4. Ficus macrocarpa - Australian banyan Julia - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 2. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionflower 3. Passiflora incarnata - maypop Painted Lady - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Borage 2. Sunflower 3. Malva sylvestris - High mallow 4. Malva parviflora - cheeseweed 5. Lavatera maritima - tree mallow 6. Thistles American Painted Lady - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Gnaphalium obtusifolium - cudweed, sweet everlasting 2. Gnaphalium falcatum - cudweed 3. Helichrysum petiolatum - licorice plant 4. Helichrysum thianschanicum - licorice icicles 5. Anaphalis margaritacea - pearly everlasting 6. Antennaria plantaginifolia - plantain-leaved pussy toes 7. Artemesia ludoviciana - Prairie Sage West Coast Lady - Mallow family, malvaceae 1. Lavatera maritima - tree mallow 2. Althea rosea - common hollyhock 3. Malva neglecta - common mallow Red-spotted Purple - Rose family, rosaceae - Willow family,salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Salix nigra - black willow 2. Salix caroliniana - Carolina willow 3. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry 4. Prunus cerasifera - purple leaf plum 5. Malus angustifolia - Southern or wild crabapple 6. "hybrid crabapple" Variegated Fritillary - Passionvine family, passifloraceae - Violet family, viola 1. Passiflora incarnata - maypop 2. Viola floridana - common violet 3. Viola soraria - woolly blue violet 4. Viola tricolor - Johnny Jump-ups 5. Viola x Wittrockiana - pansies White Peacock - Snapdragon family, scrophulariaceae - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Bacopa caroliniana - water hyssop, lemon bacopa 2. Bacopa monnieri - water hyssop, herb of grace Viceroy - Willow family, salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Salix nigra - black willow 2. Salix caroliniana - Carolina willow 3. Salix caprea - goat willow Phaon Crescentspot - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Phyla nodiflora - fogfruit Silvery Checkerspot 1. Echinacea purpurea - purple coneflower 2. Echinacea tennesseensis - Tennessee coneflower 3. Echinacea pallida - pale coneflower 4. Rudbeckia hirta - black-eyed susan 5. Liatris spicata - blazing star/gayfeather Baltimore Checkerspot 1. Plantago lanceolata - English or narrow-leaved plantain 2. Chelone glabra - white turtlehead 3. Chelone lyonii - turtlehead "hot lips" Question Mark - Nettle family, urticaceae - Elm family, ulmus 1. Humulus lupus - hops vine California Tortoiseshell - Buckthorn family, rhamnaceae 1. Ceanothus spp. Red Admiral - Nettle family, urticaceae 1. Urtica spp. - stinging nettle Goatweed Leafwing - Croton family, euphorbiaceae 1. Croton capitatum - goatweed Hackberry Emperor - Elm family, ulmaceae - Hackberry family, celtis 1. Celtis spp. - hackberry, sugarberry Great spangled Fritilary - Violet family, viola Mourning Cloak - Willow family, salicaceae - Cottonwood family, populus - Elm family, ulmus 1. Salix matsudana - corkscrew willow White Admiral - Birch family, betula - Willow family, salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry Lorquin's Admiral - Willow family, salicaceae California Sister - Oak family, quercus Malachite - Acanthus family, acanthaceae Bordered Patch - Asteraceae - sunflower family 1. Wedelia hispida - Zexmenia 2. Verbesina encelioides - Golden Crownbeard MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES Monarch - Milkweed family, asclepiadaceae 1. Asclepias currasavica - tropical/scarlet milkweed 2. Asclepias incarnata - swamp milkweed 3. Cynanchum laeve - honeyvine 4. Asclepias fascicularis - narrow-leaf milkweed 5. Asclepias speciosa - showy milkweed 6. Asclepias physocarpa - Balloon or Swan plant 7. Calotropis gigantea - giant milkweek or crown flower Queen - Milkweed family, asclepiadaceae 1. Sarcostemma clausa - whitevine 2. Asclepias currasavica - tropical/scarlet milkweed SKIPPERS Brazilian Skipper - Canna family, cannaceae - Arrowroot family, marantaceae 1. Thalia dealbata - powdery thalia Fiery Skipper - Grass family, Poaceae 1. Bermuda grass - Cynodon dactylon Silver-spotted Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha fruticosa - desert false indigo 2. Robinia pseudoacacia - black locust Long-tailed Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae Hoary Edge Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha fruticosa - desert false indigo 0gt;