Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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North Dakota · Zones 3–4
Native Butterfly Plants in North Dakota
Nectar and host plants that bring butterflies to your garden — and give their caterpillars something to eat once they arrive. North Dakota sits in a landscape of Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Spotted Joe-Pye Weed and Culver's Root — is filtered to species genuinely native to North Dakota and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 3–4. A real butterfly garden does two jobs: nectar for the adults and host leaves for the caterpillars. Flat-topped flowers make the best landing pads, and warm, sheltered, sunny spots out of the wind get the most visits. Tolerate a little leaf damage — those chewed leaves are the whole point, and a caterpillar today is a butterfly next month.
The plants
43 native species for North Dakota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–4 · see this collection in other states.
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Feeds butterflies and the caterpillars they hatch from — it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, and it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, and it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
19 more also qualify: New Jersey Tea, Ninebark, Sideoats Grama, Common Boneset, Blue Grama, Stiff Goldenrod, Virginia Creeper, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Showy Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Rattlesnake Master, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Big Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Dakota
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.