The monarch butterfly is one of nature’s most beautiful creations. Well, all butterflies, yeah, but monarch butterflies are native to the U.S. and are the most common butterfly you can find around here. Since it’s currently Spring time when writing this, you may be wondering how to get these beautiful creatures in your garden more often. They may just be flying over your garden without a second glance, but planting the right flowers will, sure enough, bring them flying in in packs!
Please note that many of the flowers mentioned may also attract hummingbirds, bees, and moths. With butterflies come other wonderful creatures, so we thought that’s something you’d like to know!
Flowers That Attract Monarch Butterflies:
1. Zinnia Flowers
These beautiful flowers, when in bloom, deposit bursts of color throughout the garden while attracting monarch butterflies. The taller variety of these flowers may also attract hummingbirds.
2. Miss Molly Bush
The miss molly plant is a non-invasive variety of plant and blooms a bright, true red color that’s sure to attract monarch butterflies. This one is actually a favorite amongst butterflies.
3. Ava Flower
These flowers are actually known for attracting hummingbirds in the Spring season, but they recently have been discovered to also attract monarch butterflies.
4. The Mexican Sunflower
Probably a common favorite amongst butterflies, as Mexico and other South American countries are where the monarch butterfly migrates to during the colder seasons. These tall, bright flowers are hard to miss for monarch butterflies.
5. May Night Salvia
The May Night Salvia plant has striking blue and purple flowers that will not disappoint when attracting monarch butterflies. They are also a favorite with gardeners just for their beauty alone. Definitely a personal favorite.
6. Milkweed
The common milkweed plant is known for its capability to sustain monarch caterpillars, but they’re also said to attract monarch butterflies once they’re fully grown. Many varieties of the milkweed plant will produce similar results.
7. Cosmos Sulphureus
These flowers are easily grown from their seed and are a favorite amongst butterflies and bees. Their pollination aspects keep monarch butterflies coming back for more, and their bright orange flowers are easily seen on the most gloomy of days.
8. Brazilian Verbena
This flower is the most common pollinator in North America that attracts all kinds of pollination species, including hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly. You may see these flowers everywhere, but don’t underestimate their power of attraction!
9. Siberian Wallflower
These stunning, bright orange flowers not only attract monarch butterflies with their hard-to-miss color, but they also give off an intoxicating aroma that will attract any monarch butterfly flying by. Consider these flowers a monarch butterfly guarantee.
10. Blue Porterweed
Porterweed flowers come in a variety of different colors, but the blue colored porterweed plants are the ones that attract monarch butterflies the best.
Fun Facts to Know About Monarch Butterflies
There are actually two species of monarch butterflies living in the Western Hemisphere. These species live in either North America or South America. However, the one place they can both coexist safely is, believe it or not, the Caribbean.
Monarch butterflies do not have lungs and instead, breathe through tiny vents in the thorax. These amazing little creatures can also see UV lights as clear as day, that’s something we certainly cannot do.
These butterflies actually store poison caused by consuming the leaves of milkweed plants during its larvae stage. They use this poison as a defense mechanism towards vertebrate predators. They’re as deadly as they are beautiful, in this case!
Monarch butterflies are a truly beautiful species, and their presence can light up and garden.
16 Comments
New to planting a butterfly garden…trying to plant the right plants…perennials….shade and sun….hardy to zone 5-6 Ct
NATIVE PLANT DATABASE http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ Select state, bloom time, height, color, soil, a wide range of selections to compile a list of native plants.
Do they like mandevilla vines? Thank you.
Yes they do!
2020: have seen the fewest number of monarchs ever!! I live on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. I have only seen 10 monarchs this summer!!!
For Monarchs I plant Tithonia Mexican Sunflower) and I have swarms of butterflies on the orange flowers. Never fails in late August/September. I live in New Jersey along the beach.
So sorry, I have heard of other people seeing less in Canada. Plant more milkweed and nectar sources. Mexico sunflower, Zinnias, this article has a good list.
plant a butterfly bush. they have lots of nectar!
My monarch’s larva feed on Wild Morning Glory
If the eggs are layed on the morning glory, I guess mother knows best. But from all that I’ve read, monarch caterpillars need to eat milkweed so that they will taste poisonous to would-be predators.
Cynanchum laeve, Honeyvine it is a vining milkweed. USDA map: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYLA
it would be helpful if you would provide the Latin name for the plants mentioned.
Thank you for the suggestion! We will most certainly get on this!
I live in Alberta Canada. I have 4 Lilic bushes an they are loving them . There are at least 20 per bush. Totally amazing watching them 😍
I live on the big island of Hawaii. What flowers can I plant for the monarchs?
What plants flowers are good for the monarch butterfly in North Texas?
Thankyou…