Host Plants
for Butterfly Caterpillars
Adding host plants will attract more butterflies to your landscape. Host plants are those that butterfly caterpillars feed on. When ready to lay eggs, a female butterfly is anxious to find the right plants to deposit her eggs on.
And caterpillars are very picky eaters!
Some will only eat plants in a specific genus. Others may enjoy a broader selection but their diet is still limited to plants in a certain taxonomic family.
The image below shows a chart listing some common butterflies and skippers
and the host plants that their caterpillars feed on.
Click on the image or click here to download a PDF version of the chart.