Native Butterfly Plants in Oregon

Nectar and host plants that bring butterflies to your garden — and give their caterpillars something to eat once they arrive. Oregon sits in a landscape of Willamette Valley, Cascades & high desert, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its wet west, dry summer-dry east character. The list below — led by Buttonbush and Douglas Aster — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oregon and the wider flora of the Pacific Northwest and hardy through zones 4–9. 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.

8 native species for Oregon

Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–9 · see this collection in other states.