Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Vermont · Zones 3–5
Native Butterfly Plants in Vermont
Nectar and host plants that bring butterflies to your garden — and give their caterpillars something to eat once they arrive. For Vermont, the right natives are shaped by Green Mountains & Champlain Valley and a cold, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Purple Coneflower and Arrowwood Viburnum to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Vermont and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–5. 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 Vermont
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Feeds butterflies and the caterpillars they hatch from; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Does both jobs of a butterfly garden — nectar and host leaves; 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; it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Does both jobs of a butterfly garden — nectar and host leaves; it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Does both jobs of a butterfly garden — nectar and host leaves — it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A butterfly nectar plant that blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
19 more also qualify: Obedient Plant, New England Aster, Creeping Phlox, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, American Elderberry, Virginia Creeper, New Jersey Tea, Common Milkweed, Common Boneset, Blue Vervain, Fragrant Sumac, Spicebush, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Pennsylvania Sedge, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Vermont
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.