Butterfly Caterpillar Host Plants

Dainty greenish yellow passionflowers are produced throughout summer and are followed by small black edible/inedible fruit. The Native Yellow Passionflower is a small to medium sized perennial vine with apple green tri-lobed foliage that is often splashed with light silvery variegation. Considered to be one of the most cold hardy Passionvines it is also fairly well mannered making it suitable for container culture. The Yellow Passionflower is found throughout most of the central and eastern US within its hardiness range. A host plant for the Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Julia, and other Heliconian butterflies and the Passionflower Bee. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 11046

A rare and endangered perennial Hibiscus that is native to just a few counties in east Texas. 3-5" wide, creamy white Hibiscus flowers with a burgundy eye are born from mid-summer to fall. Finely textured, and deeply cut, deep green foliage adds to the charm of this Hibiscus. Seems to do equally well under moist conditions as under average garden conditions. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 9400.

Masses of 1" wide yellow-eyed bluish purple daisies absolutely cover this plant for weeks in late summer and fall. October Skies Aromatic Aster, a selection of Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, is a low mounding perennial that develops into a compact shrub-like plant by flowering time. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border and landscape. Prefers good to excellent drainage and a full to mostly sunny site. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Item# 9913

Beginning as early as midsummer the branching stems are cloaked in 1/2" wide white daisies with a contrasting yellow eye eventually becoming reddish. The nectar and pollen laden flowers attract mainly smaller pollinators like bees providing an important late summer source for winter stores. The Ontario Aster, Symphiotrichum ontarionis, is a native perennial that colonizes via rhizomes and grows to about 30-40"H. It is found mainly in the central US from coastal Louisiana north to Canada commonly in semi-shaded sites along stream banks, bogs, and similar consistently moist locations. Deadhead once flowering is complete to minimize reseeding if desired but songbirds may enjoy the small seeds if they are left to ripen. This species is very similar to and is often confused with other white flowered late summer and fall flowering asters. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Item# 12775

Large rounded clusters of 2" orange-yellow tubular flowers sit like golden crowns atop the large rich green tropical foliage of this rare beautiful tropical. Easy and rewarding, the Golden Crown Jacobinia flowers throughout the year creating a small herbaceous plant to about 2' high and wide. Excellent for hummingbirds! Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Item# 10102.

Add a little tropical punch to your summer! Brilliant orange, 5-6" wide, full rounded flowers centered by a narrow pink halo that surrounds the deep magenta eye and is centered by a contrasting red tipped staminal column adorned with bright yellow stamens. Orange Lagos Tropical Hibiscus is a deservedly popular Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar that begins flowering even at a very young age and over a long period throughout the warmer months to potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions. This is a naturally evergreen, heat and sunloving tropical shrub that develops into a well-branched, small to medium-sized plant which is perfectly suited to container culture and also makes an excellent garden and landscape shrub in areas with mild winter climates. Provide a full to partly sunny location in an average moist, rich fertile soil for optimum vigor and ocntinuous flowering. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 12644

3-5" green-yellow fruit with banana custard-like flavor, some say they are best after being frozen. Produces fragrant purple flowers in spring. A small native, normally understory tree, and is the caterpillar host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. Seedling grown. Plant two different varieties or seedlings for pollination. Item# 786.

Large clusters of deep purplish red tubular fragrant flowers open to display white and creamy yellow throats. Peaches and Cream Honeysuckle begins flowering in late spring and will continue into fall. It was selected not only for its ability to flower continuously throughout the growing season, exceptionally large flowers and flower clusters but also for its pest and disease resistance. Like most Honeysuckles, Peaches and Cream flowers on new growth so provide it with a full to mostly sunny position in a well-drained fertile soil. An easy mannerly vine for medium sized trellises, arbors, pergolas, and along fences. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Images courtesy of Star® Roses and Plants, all rights reserved. Item# 11719

The huge white flowers of Peppermint Flare are randomly speckled and lightly striped with purplish pink. This hardy perennial Hibiscus is sure to be a conversation piece! This nearly sterile hybrid produces a continuous display of huge flowers, has excellent vigor, and pest resistant foliage. This root hardy die-back perennial has a compact 4-6' x 4-6' habit and is tolerant of soil moisture levels ranging from average to wet. The Flare Series Hibiscus were developed near San Antonio so in the the words of Heidi Sheesley they are 'Texas tough' as well as big and beautiful! Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 11171

3" wide creamy white flowers with a burgundy eye are produced from summer to fall on an upright growing perennial with small, trilobed, rich green foliage. The Pineland Hibiscus or Comfortroot is an uncommon native perennial Hibiscus found at the edge of pine forests, along rivers, and streams. It is not always long lived (3-6 years typically) but is certainly a worthy component of wildflower gardens, meadows, other natural settings, and near the back of the garden or landscape. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 9804

Hundreds of 1" wide deep reddish-pink daisies are produced in fall atop these dense mounding perennials that could easily be grown in the place of fall mums. Pink Crush New England Aster, a selection of Aster novae-angliae (a.k.a. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), is a clump forming native perennial with a densely branching, naturally rounded habit requiring no pinching, and producing a superior fall show. It doesn't lodge or break over like the species can. The flowers attract bees and butterflies. Use these perennials where you would normally buy Chrysanthemums whether as part of the perennial border, landscape, or as container plants. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12841

Huge bright cherry pink, 10" wide, widely flaring flowers are born from summer to fall on this beautiful perennial Hibiscus. Pink Flare is a showstopper with its continuous display of massive flowers, excellent vigor, and and pest resistant foliage. This root hardy die-back perennial has a compact 4-6' x 4-6' habit and is tolerant of soil moisture levels ranging from average to wet. The Flare Series Hibiscus were developed near San Antonio so in the the words of Heidi Sheesley they are 'Texas tough' as well as big and beautiful! Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 11452

Dainty coral pink, many petaled, tubular passionflowers are produced throughout much of the year on this small growing passionvine. The Pink Passionvine has smooth medium green bilobed foliage that often shows silvery variegation. A hummingbird pollinated passionvine with a small enough habit to be enjoyed in containers and baskets or on a sunny windowsill. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item # 1053.

This a very easy and strong-growing, perennial vine with beautiful glossy leaves, exotic white and purple flowers, which are followed by large purple, rounded fruit, about the size of tangerines, with a nice flavor. Possum Purple is considered to be a self pollinating Passionfruit but having another cultivar for cross pollination may be beneficial as well. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 1191

 8-14" high pyramidal clusters of up to 40 pinkish-red ball-like buds open to yellow butterfly-like blooms, then fade to a deep orange and gold, and finally turning to a deep reddish-orange to red. The Pride of Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is a large growing tropical to subtropical shrub to tender shrub-like perennial that makes a fantastic show throughout summer. Give it plenty of room and a well-drained, moderately fertile soil, preferably in full to mostly sunny site. Plant with caution as butterflies and hummingbirds will repeatedly attack the flowers. Sometimes they drop all leaves during shipping, but will grow more with good sun. Caterpillar host: Miami Blue and Mexican Yellow Item# 571

Fully double, bright raspberry pink, 3-4" flowers are borne atop the dark green foliage. A vigorous, free-flowering, and upright growing Hibiscus, Pride of Hankins lends itself to pruning and shaping. Often used as a grafting rootstock but is free flowering, beautiful, and vigorous enough to have a place in the tropical garden in its own right. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 875.

Hundreds of 1" wide lavender-blue, semi-double daisies with a showy yellow eye literally cover these plants for weeks beginning in late summer and continuing into mid fall. Professor Anton Kippenburg New York Aster or Michaelmas Daisy is a clump forming, densely branching, perennial growing to just 12-18" high and wide and while this is a small growing plant it never seems to lack for flower power once late summer arrives. Dr. Allen Armitage in his Herbaceous Perennial Plants, 4th edition states that "This excellent cultivar has withstood the test of time." No pinching or staking is required to enjoy these beauties. Use these perennials where you would normally buy Chrysanthemums whether as part of the perennial border, in the landscape, or even as container plants. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, hover flies, and numerous other garden beneficials. Item# 12018

Spikes of soft golden-orange upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the medium green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. Pumpkin Pie Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii and potentially the same as the cultivar 'Bennie's Gold', is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small enough for containers but makes a no-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Catepillar host for Crimson Patch. Item# 9671

Clusters of white to lilac, up to 1" wide, star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers are produced nearly continuously throughout the warmer months of the year. The large velvety, white to gray green, large rounded tropical foliage of the Giant Milkweed make excellent fodder for Monarch caterpillars and one leaf can provide a substantial amount of food. A large growing shrub in tropical climates where it can be trained into a tree form, grown as a shrub, or hedge. The Giant Milkweed can easily be maintained as a large container plant. Item# 11436

Masses of 1" wide yellow-eyed bluish purple daisies absolutely cover this plant for weeks in late summer and fall. Raydon's Favorite Aromatic Aster, a selection of Symphyotrichum oblongifolium and the big brother of the slightly more compact October Skies, is a medium-sized, herbaceous, densely mounding shrub-like perennial that matures to about 3' x 3' at the time of flowering. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border and landscape. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators but seems to be especially popular with bees. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Prefers good to excellent drainage and a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Named the 2016 Plant of the Year by the Garden Club of America and selected for the 2003 Theodore Klein Award. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13164

The large glowing red 'parent' flowers of the original El Capitolio Hibiscus appear to have a second smaller double bloom that is held out away from it creating a 'poodled' effect. The El Capitolio Hibiscus have the potential to flower throughout the year under good conditions and with enough warmth and sunlight.The large blooms often have a streak of white adding to their tropical beauty. Their unique form, flower size, vigor, and flower power all make the El Capitolio Hibiscus types some of our favorites for large tropical specimens. They can be used as formal or informal shrubs for hedging and screens, as tree forms, or even trained into large espalier. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 610.

Huge deep scarlet red, 10" wide, widely flaring flowers with overlapping petals are borne from summer to fall on this beautiful perennial Hibiscus cloaked in rich apple green foliage. Red Flare Hardy Hibiscus is a showstopper with its continuous display of massive cranberry red flowers thanks in no small part to being nearly sterile and rarely producing seed. The Flare Hibiscus series have been selected as Texas Superstar© Plants due to their toughness, reliability, and performance in the garden and landscape throughout the state. These root hardy, 4-5' high and 4-6' wide herbaceous perennials will die-back to the ground in fall returning from the crown the following spring. Provide a richly fertile, moist, wet, to average moist soil in a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and to maximize flowering. Easy and reliable! Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 13129