Christie, there is a book you might be interested in; "Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David Wagner, published by Princeton University "Press. It is the first, and so far only, comprehensive book about caterpillars with color photos, pictures of the butterfly or moth, and discussions of details about each one, including host plants of both caterpillars and butterflies. For me, it's been the most valuable book I have found to identify the different cats and what they eat. I think you can get it at Hastings. If they don't have it I am sure they will order it for you. I got my copy at Borders.

Sandy

I just discovered Liatris ligulistylis this year in a native prairie. I got a photo pf three Monarchs clustered around each other on one flower head. Evidently this species is necessary for the Monarch migration. I've collected copious amounts of seed since then.

Hi, this is my first time to post on this forum. I don't know why, my entire yard is native plants and no lawn. I grew a Rabbit Bush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) from seed years ago and every fall when it blooms it gets these weird small black butterflies. This year there were hundreds and hundreds on it. I looked down from upstairs and the entire bush seemed to be alive and moving with a swarm of black. I have no idea what kind of butterfly this is but I have nothing that even comes close to this number of butterflies all at one time, all one kind. Short lived, but a spectacular butterfly event.

I planted some mixed seeds I got from the Sonoran Desert from WILD SEED out of Tempe Arizona. There was some kind of 3 to 4" tall verbena with blueish leathery leaves I am still trying to positively ID. They listed "Desert Verbena" but that one didn't look like it. It attracted lots of butterflies and I saved seed because its a great rock garden plant. Seems the tinier the bloom, the better the butterflies like them. Horse mint was another good attractor and so was Verbena bonariensis. That one is nice because it takes so little space, its all high-rise and see through.

I had one event Gross Me Out. I went out one day and my blooming thyme was covered in flies acting like bees. Ever had that one? Seemed like the Twilight Zone. Creepy.

I want that book! In addition there are region-specific guides online for certain regions put out by the National Butterfly Association. Sections on Top Butterfly Nectar Flowers and on Top Cat Food Plants. Christie, you asked about phlox & I see 3 kinds listed in the guide for your region.

Here are links that might be useful:
NBA Guide for Eastern Kansas/Western Missouri
NBA Regional Guides

I was thinking about putting a couple books on my Christmas list. Thanks for the suggestion Mosswitch.

Liatris ligulistylis is already on my wishlist. I came across a photo someone posted a long time ago of that plant with several monarchs on it. I think they must like it.

Welcome Cactusgarden! Actually I don't post in this forum very often and don't know very much about natives as you can probably tell. That's interesting about the little black butterflies. Someone in the Butterfly forum might be able to tell you what they are. I know there's at least a couple people from Oklahoma that post there often.

Thanks for the link Rivercrossroads. I'll look through those. It lists woodland phlox. I have a little of that and have seen swallowtails on it a few times. It blooms pretty early.

Here is a link that might be useful: thread with photo of Liatris ligulistylis

I have had luck attracting butterflies with:

- Joe-Pye weed
- Gray-headed coneflower
- Purple Coneflower
- Green-headed coneflower
- Prarie Blazingstar
- New England Aster
- Swamp Milkweed (which I have gotten to grow in clay without alot of water. I have seen Monarchs, Black Swallotails, & Eastern Swallowtails on this flower).
- Anise Hyssop
- Rigid Goldenrod
-Wild Senna (Host plant to a few varieties of butterflies)

I have been planting many varieties of natives trying to figure out what works best for butterflies. This coming year I am trying out the lupine, spicebush, & a few of the indigo species.

I am very much a native plant enthusiast, but have to say that the nectar plants that attract the butterflies the most are the non-native annuals such as Zinnia elegans, Tithonia, Verbena bonariensis, and the non-native perennial Buddleia. They are not invasive in this zone, and many other pollinators love them too, so I grow good-sized patches of these (as much as possible with limited full sun). However, for native perennials, I have watched specific butterflies nectar repeatedly on the following -

Liatris ligulystylis (Monarchs)
Silphium perfoliatum (Eastern Tiger Swallowtails)
Phlox paniculata (Spicebush Swallowtails)
Monarda didyma (Spicebush Swallowtails)

Other natives that regularly see assorted butterfly action:

Solidago speciosa and other goldenrods
Monarda species like M. fistulosa and M. citriodora
Echinacea purpurea
Asclepias (milkweed) species
Agastache foeniculum

Thanks Terrene! I have zinnias, tithonia, verbena bonariensis and two Pink Delight butterfly bushes. I have never gotten even one seedling from my butterfly bushes on our entire property so they stay, although I'm not going to plant any more. I'm afraid if I plant another variety, they could pollinate each other.
Verbena bonariensis reseeds very heavily for me but only right under the plants so I'm not getting rid of that either. The seedlings come up almost as thick as grass They bloom their heads off all summer even though I don't thin them at all. I just let them duke it out. There is always a constant swarm of Buckeyes and Variegated Fritillaries on them but the larger butterflies such as Swallowtails and Monarchs were mostly going to my zinnias. It's wonderful that one of the easiest and cheapest things to grow is also one of the best things to plant for butterflies. I plan to plant a lot of zinnias next summer.

We have an 8 acre hayfield that has a long line of trees along the north property line and I'd like to plant some native perennials along the south side of that tree line. I will have to use stuff that's pretty drought tolerant because the tree roots make the soil dry in late summer. The perennials would get plenty of sun though. I can water until they're established but don't want to plant stuff that I'd have to water forever.

Do you have to keep your Cup Plant watered in the summer Terrene? I think I'll add that one to my wish list. I already have Liatris ligulystylis on there. : )
I have Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) on my wish list as well. If you have both and the Cup Plant seems to be more attractive to butterflies than Compass Plant, I should probably stick to that.

Hi Christie, I have 1 'Black Knight' and 1 'Pink Delight' butterfly bushes and have never gotten a seedling from either one. Not sure they would reseed in this zone; usually I deadhead pretty religiously, to get more blooms, but even when I've forgetten they don't self-sow.

Zinnias are very easy to grow, but they can be subjected to powdery mildew, which supposedly can be minimized by planting the Zinnias in a new spot each year. The one year I didn't do this, they got terrible powdery mildew. Since then, I grow them in a different spot, and no mildew. Don't know if this is a coincidence or not.

We had a droughty summer this year, and we had voluntary watering restrictions, so the only plants I watered regularly were the veggies, butterfly, and hummingbird plants. Yes I did give the Cup plant a good soaking now and then, to keep up blooms and seed production. They are pretty drought-tolerant though; supposedly the roots go down very deep once established. No doubt the plants would survive a pretty bad drought, but I didn't want to sacrifice the flowers and seeds, which were popular with the bumblebees, hummingbirds, and Goldfinches.

Don't know about Silphium lacinatum.

Beautiful photo Terrene! I have host plants for Tiger Swallowtails but hardly ever see them here. I want more.
I remember why I put Compass Plant on my wish list instead of Cup Plant. I was thinking that Cup Plant might hold enough water for mosquitos to breed in and I didn't want that. I've never actually seen Cup Plant so I don't know how much water they collect or have any idea how long the water would sit there before evaporating. Do yours hold water for a long time?

Hi Christie, yes the Cup plant does have fascinating leaves and they do hold water, but in our droughty summer this year it didn't last long. The water in the cupped leaves seems to attract a variety of insects and sometimes they drown in the water. I don't know if it encourages mosquitoes or not, the water dries out in a few days if it's dry.

The Cup plant is tall (7-8 feet) and the foliage is kind of coarse, but I find it makes a nice backdrop at the back of a garden or edge of woodland and grow well in partial shade. They are easy to start from seed, make a rosette of foliage the first year, and bloom well the 2nd. They are now reseeding below the plants as well (I will probably thin them out again next year).

Btw, I LOVE my Bill Cullina book on Growing and Propagating native wildflowers. It is not specifically a butterfly book but does have a section on wildlife value of most of the species.

Some more pics -

I can't remember how long it takes mosquitos to complete their cycle. I'll have to look that up. It would be nice if it held water long enough for my little tree frogs to multiply but not the mosquitos.
I went ahead and ordered both cup plant and compass plant seeds from Everwilde along with some others.
I want to plant them between the tree line and our hayfield so I don't mind that they're tall. I need to do some research and make sure I don't plant something poisonous for cattle. Milkweed is toxic. There's also an area where there are a few black walnut trees so I have to be careful what I plant there.

Sounds good! I think both of these will be very successful along your border and once established will not require much attention. Everwilde is a great seed company! Lots of natives, reasonable prices and very generous quantities. Think I will head over there and browse their seeds now (like I need more seeds).

Bummer about Milkweeds being toxic to livestock, since the pollinators love these plants and they are Monarch host plant. Don't think some farmers are too crazy about it. But I enjoy raising Monarchs and am a certified Monarch waystation - got to grow lots of Milkweed!

I have grown cup plant and compass plant. The cup plant definitely attracts more insects and birds. However, that may be just the sheer number of stalks and flowers. Compass plant generally sends one stalk per plant. They both have very deep roots, and only need watering the first year or two.

My experience has been that butterflies are less picky about nectar flowers than they are about host plants. Lupine, little bluestem, dill, milkweed, oaks, and hackberry are good caterpillar host plants in my area.

In Central Texas , we have Verbesina virginginica ( frostweed). It grows under my oaks. It is not that pretty itself but, Queen butterflies, monarchs, sulfurs rise from it in clouds. I came out to look at the land and those butterflies clinched the deal. If you live in a colder area than me , the plant puts on a most unusual show in the winter. The sap oozes out and freezes creating the most unusual formations seen below in photos on the link.

I also have a lot of luck with Cow pen daisy (verbiscina enceliodes). It is an annual, very drought and heat tolerant. Any lliatris is a butterfly magnet. We have a lot of Liatris mucronada in our area. A great one to mention is Eupatorium coelestinum (blue mistflower) and eupatorium wrightii (white mistfloer), Eupatoriorium serotinum, Eupatorium greggii are all good natives for massive butterfly displays.

Here is a link that might be useful: Frostweed

Purple coneflower is good for this.