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Back to Butterfly Gardening
California
These are some of the common, showy butterflies of this region and the food plant (or plants) appropriate for caterpillars of each species.
Butterfly Species
Caterpillar Plants

Variable Checkerspot
Euphydryas chalcedona
Scrophularia, Mimulus

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
Willow, Poplar, Elm
West Coast Lady
Vanessa annabella
Various mallows

Sara Orangetip
Anthocharis sara
Various mustards

Acmon Blue
Plebejus acmon
Buckwheats
(Eriogonum species)

Gulf Fritillary
Agraulis vanillae
Passion Vine

Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia)

Western Tiger
Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Willow, Poplar, Elm

Anise Swallowtail
Papilio zelicaon
Foeniculum, various parsleys

Monarch
Danaus plexippus
Milkweeds

Nectar Plants
These are the best flowers to plant in this region to attract a wide variety of butterfly species. The plants listed here have been shown to be tolerant of the local climate and particularly attractive to the butterflies mentioned above.

Heliotrope Heliotropum arborescens
Yerba Santa (native) Eriodictyon californicum
Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii
Statice Limonium species
Thistles (some native) Cirsium species
Verbena Verbena species
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia
Lantana Lantana camara (and other species)
California Buckeye (native) Aesculus californicus
Yarrow (native) Achillea species









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