Glad you've hopped on over. Now you can read my native garden ramblings on both forums!
I want you to have the best butterfly garden you can have, so I'm going to recommend some of the best plants I have for attracting butterflies.
Purple Coneflower. The true native variety, not a store-bought cultivar or hybrid. Purple Coneflowers are highly popular with pollinators. Bees and butterflies of many species can spend hours drinking their nectar, particularly if you have a lot of plants.
Swamp Milkweed. Along with being a host plant for Monarch butterflies, it tends to be a popular nectar plant with various Swallowtail butterfly species. I've seen Giant Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, and Black Swallowtails attracted to the nectar, as well as hummingbirds.
Orange Milkweed. Monarchs love this plant as a nectar source, and it doubles as their host plant. It's good to have at least two species of milkweeds in a butterfly garden. The two I mentioned are the most popular for gardeners. They're quite a bit different in size and color, but both very attractive to humans and pollinators.
Meadow Blazing Star. I don't think this specie is native to your area, but because you live in the Monarch's range, it's worth planting.
This is not a typical blazing star. This specific specie is a
Monarch magnet. If you search images of
"meadow blazing star monarch" on Google, you'll see what I mean.
I had just one stalk, and Monarchs were on it all the time! Mine rotted away in too-wet conditions, but I saved its offspring and I hope to see them bloom this year or next year.
New England Aster. I dedicated a significant section of my native garden to this plant. This is one of the last significant nectar sources in autumn, and Monarchs need it for their migration. I once counted twelve migrating Monarchs on a single plant in the wild.
Stiff Goldenrod. Similar to New England Aster, this is a late-season nectar source that Monarchs need during their journey south. I recall reading that Goldenrods are one of the most beneficial nectar sources that attract a huge variety of pollinators. Many goldenrod species are aggressive. This is one of the least aggressive and most showy species. It's becoming more popular in gardens, which I'm thrilled to see.
Mexican Sunflower. This plant is native to Mexico, but is very popular with butterflies and hummingbirds everywhere. It's an annual that grows very tall and will need to be supported. Mine have grown to about 9' tall some years, and never less than 6' tall. Just about every butterfly I've ever seen on it has stayed for at least a half hour, and often longer.
Common Blue Violet. This plant is not for everyone, as it easily spreads into lawns, however, it's also the host plant for some Fritillary butterfly species. I'm letting it fill in my entire native garden in hopes of raising the fritillary population around my yard.
Other notable plants include Gray-headed Coneflower, Long-headed Coneflower, Lanceleaf Tickseed, Black-eyed Susan, Smooth Oxeye, Button Blazing Star, and Whorled Milkweed.
Sunny areas are best, but partly-shady areas are ok, too.
The more open of a space, the better. The further away the flowers can be seen, the more butterflies you'll attract.
