Even though host plants (food for butterfly caterpillars) aren’t top-of-mind when planning a butterfly garden, no butterfly garden is complete without these important, ‘behind-the-scenes’ plants.
Plants for Butterfly Eggs
Host plants are the nurseries of the garden. If you keep an eye out, you’ll see the female butterfly flit around the plant, gently laying her next brood’s eggs, sometimes on the stems, sometimes on the top of leaves but usually on the bottom, hidden from predators.
Host Plants for Caterpillars
Then, in 10 to 14 days, the tiny larvae (caterpillars), less than an eighth inch long, emerge and begin eating the plant. It’s a fascinating process as they munch away, growing larger every day. Equally intriguing is watching the caterpillar leave the plant to form a chrysalis.
Host plants that attract caterpillars range from flowering plants like Milkweed and Passion Vine to herbs like Fennel, to bushes and trees like Sweet Bay Magnolia.
