I have been revisiting Doug Tallamy's excellent book Bringing Nature Home when I came across this list of natives to plant to attract butterflies and moths on his website. Doug's book is an exhaustive and inspiring look at natives plants and their place in the food chain. Even if you can only plant two of three of these flowers in your yard, you are creating a habitat that will pay off not only in butterflies and moths, but in song birds and more. Non-natives have no food value for many of our pollinators which then effects the birds that eat the larva of these insects and so on up the food chain.
So, when you're thinking of what to plant this year - take this list with you and see if you can't find some room for some of these lovely flowers in your yard.
Common Name Plant Genus Number of Butterfly/moth species supported
Goldenrod Solidago 115
Asters Aster 112
Sunflower Helianthus 73
Joe pye, Boneset Eupatorium 42
Morning glory Ipomoea 39
Sedges Carex 36
Honeysuckle Lonicera 36
Lupine Lupinus 33
Violets Viola 29
Geraniums Geranium 23
Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia 17
Iris Iris 17
Evening primrose Oenothera 16
Milkweed Asclepias 12
Verbena Verbena 11
Beardtongue Penstemon 8
Phlox Phlox 8
Bee balm Monarda 7
Veronica Veronica 6
Little bluestem Schizachyrium 6
Cardinal flower Lobelia 4