Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
New York · Zones 3–7
Native Butterfly Plants in New York
Nectar and host plants that bring butterflies to your garden — and give their caterpillars something to eat once they arrive. New York sits in a landscape of Adirondacks, Finger Lakes & Hudson Valley, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid continental character. The list below — led by Showy Goldenrod and Black-Eyed Susan — is filtered to species genuinely native to New York and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–7. 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
51 native species for New York
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–7 · see this collection in other states.
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
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Does both jobs of a butterfly garden — nectar and host leaves, flowering as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
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
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Does both jobs of a butterfly garden — nectar and host leaves, and it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
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
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant — it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A landing pad and nectar stop for butterflies that blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Feeds butterflies and the caterpillars they hatch from, and it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Easy nectar for visiting butterflies that flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Nectar for the adults and a caterpillar host for their young, in one plant, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A butterfly nectar plant that flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
27 more also qualify: Common Yarrow, Buttonbush, Great Blue Lobelia, Obedient Plant, Wild Bergamot, Culver's Root, Ninebark, Sideoats Grama, Fragrant Sumac, New Jersey Tea, Spicebush, Common Milkweed, Common Boneset, Purple Prairie Clover, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, Stiff Goldenrod, American Elderberry, Wild Lupine, Virginia Creeper, Rattlesnake Master, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in New York
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.