List of Butterfly and Moth Host Plants

Host Plants for Butterflies

P  Artemisia stellariana 'Silver Brocade'  American Painted Lady

T  Birch  Mourning Cloak,

F  Black-Eyed Susan  Silvery Checkerspot

W  Burdock  American Painted Lady, Painted Lady

F  Butterfly Weed/Orange Glory (Milkweed family) Monarchs

V  Carrot  Eastern Black Swallowtail

V  Celery  Eastern Black Swallowtail

W  Clover  Eastern Tailed Blue, Clouded Sulphur

F  Aster  Pearl Crescent

V  Dutchman's Pipe/Pipevine  Pipevine Swallowtail

H Dill  Eastern Black Swallowtail

T  Elm  Comma, Mourning Cloak

F  Purple Coneflower  Silvery Checkerspot

F  Pearly Everlasting  American Painted Lady, Painted Lady

W/F  Milkweed  Monarch, Queen, Soldier

F  Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)  Karner Blue

F  False Indigo (Baptisia) Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed Blue, Silver Spotted Skipper

H  Fennel  Eastern Black Swallowtail

W Garlic Mustard Cabbage White

F  Gas Plant (Dictamnus fraxinella 'Rubra')  Giant Swallowtail

Grasses/Sedges  Skippers, Black Dash, Wood Nymphs

T  Hackberry  American Snout, Hackberry Emperor, Question Mark, Tawny Emperor, Mourning Cloak, Snout

F  Hibiscus  Gray Hairstreak

F  Hollyhock  American Painted Lady, Painted Lady, Checkered Skipper

V  Hops  Comma, Question Mark

Various Grasses  Common Wood Nymph, Wood Satyr, Fiery Skipper, Least Skipper

H  Lovage  Eastern Black Swallowtail

B  Lilac  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail,  Privet Hawk Moth

F  Lupine  Silvery Blue butterfly

F  (Lupinus perennis) Blue Lupine/Wild Lupine/Sundial Lupine Karner Blue (endangered species), frosted Elfin

F  Mallow  Checkered Skipper, Painted Lady

F  New Jersey Tea  Spring Azure

V  Passion Vine Gulf Fritillary, Julia, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Crimson-Patch Longwing, Red-banded Hairstreak, Mexican Fritillary

T  Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) Zebra Swallowtail

V  Pipevine  Pipevine Swallowtail, Polydamus Swallowtail

W  Plantain  Baltimore Checkerspot

H  Rue  Eastern Black Swallowtail

F  Senna (Cassia)  Clouded Sulphur, Cloudless Sulphur, Sleepy Orange, Southern Dogface

W/H  Sheep Sorrel  American Copper

F  Snap Dragon  Buckeye

F  Sneezeweed/Helen's Flower (Helenium autumnale)  Dainty Sulphur

B   Spicebush  Spicebush Swallowtail

W/H Stinging Nettle  Red Admiral, Comma, Question Mark, Milbert's Tortoiseshell

F  Sunflower   Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot, Painted Lady

W  Thistle  Painted Lady

F  Trifolium  Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed Blue, Gray Hairstreak

F  Turtlehead  Baltimore Checkerspot

F  Violet/Viola/Pansy  Fritillary butterflies

T  Willow  Mourning Cloak, Red Spotted Purple, Tiger Swallowtail, Viceroy, White Admiral

B Pink Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa)  Tiger Swallowtail, Viceroy, Red-Spotted Purple, White Admiral

W=Weed

F=Flower

B=Bush

T=Tree

V=Vine

H=Herb/Vegetable

Host Plants for Moths

B Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) Hummingbird Moth

B  Privet  Privet Hawk Moth (Sphinx ligustri),

Ash, Lilac, Jasmine   Privet Hawk Moth

Viburnum, Honeysuckle  Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Birch, Sumac, Walnut, Hickory, Sweetgum, Persimmon  Luna

Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, Potato, Tobacco, Grapevine, Moonflower, Virginia Creeper  Sphynx/Hawk Moths

alder, apple, ash, beech, birch, box-elder, cherry, dogwood, elm, gooseberry, maple, plum, poplar, white oak, willow, lilac, tamarack  Cecropia

This is a short list, as there are many more host plants for both butterflies and moths!

--LKR