'Butterfly Blue' Scabiosa

Butterflies enjoy nectar from a wide variety of plants. Quite a few of these plants grow in containers, allowing you to make your deck, porch, or other small space a feeding haven.

Find a Plant that Fits

You need a sunny spot for container plants to attract butterflies.

Also, unless you're growing an annual or bringing the container in during the hottest or coldest parts of the year, make sure the plant can survive in your climate.

Echinacea purpurea 'Merlot'

You can check survivability by finding out the USDA zones for a candidate plant.

Larger plants (3' height or greater) will need larger containers.

What Kind of Plant?

Aster novae-angliae 'Vibrant Dome'

You're more likely to attract butterflies with plants that aren't hybridized for showy flowers and with plants that are native to your area.

However, butterflies generally favor red, orange, yellow, and purple more than other colors.

Butterflies usually prefer flat, plate-shaped flowers, but some trumpet-shaped flowers are favorites.

Plant List

Here's a brief list of butterfly-attracting plants:

• Milkweed (Ascelpias)
• Agastache

  
  Agastache 'Blue Fortune'

• Aster, including Calendula marigold
• Fuschia
• Heliotropium
• Hibiscus
• Impatiens
• Mentha (Mentha)
• Bee Balm (Monarda)

  
  Monarda didyma 'Pink Lace'

• Geranium Pelargonium
• Sage (Salvia)
• Scabiosa, like 'Butterfly Blue'
• Tropaeolum, a.k.a. Nasturtium
• Verbena, including lantana
• Zinnia

Don't forget about herbs that attract butterflies: fennel, dill, chives, and more.

This post, now updated, first appeared on November 1st, 2007.