Butterfly Host Plants or Butterfly Larval Food Plants
There will be a $1.00 surcharge on all Plant Orders to California.What is a host or larval food plant? Why are they important?
Butterflies are extrememly particular about which plants they can eat while they are caterpillars. This isn't their choice; it is how they are made! For example; Monarch caterpillars can eat only milkweed while Cloudless Sulphur butterfly caterpillars eat plants in the Cassia or Senna family.
By Common Name
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)Blue Pea Vine (Clitoria sp.)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii Buckeye)
Partridge Pea (Cassia fasciculata)
Candlestick or Emperor Cassia (Cassia alata)
Canna Lily (Canna sp.)
Calico Vine (Aristolochia elegans)
Christmas Cassia (Cassia or Senna bicapsularis)
Coontie (Zamia pumila)
Creeping Indigo (Indigofera spicata)
Cudweed Gnaphalium sp.
English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
False Nettle (Bohemeria cylindrica)
Fennel (Foeniculum sp.)
Firecracker, Upright (Russelia sarmentosa)
Firecracker, Weeping (Russelia equisetiformis)
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)
Green Shrimp (Blechum brownei)
Hackberry (Celtis sp.)
Hollyhock (Alcea roasa)
Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana )
Milkweed, Tropical (Asclepias curassavica)
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Parsley, Curly (Petroselunum sp.)
Parsley, Flat Italian (Petroselunum)
Partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata)
Passionvine, Alato-Caerulea (Passiflora sp.)
Passionvine, Boomerang (Passiflora biflora)
Passionvine, Blue (Passiflora caruela)
Passionvine, Corky-stem (Passiflora suberosa)
Passionvine, Incense (Passiflora incense)
Passionvine, Lady Margaret (Passiflora sp.)
Passionvine, Lavender Lady (Passiflora sp.)
Passionvine, Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)
Passionvine, Running Pop (Passiflora foetida)
PawPaw (Asimina sp.)
Pellitory (Parietaria floridana)
Pepperweed (Lepidium sp.)
Philippine Violet (Baleria sp.)
Pipevine,Wooly (Aristolochia tomentosa)
Pipevine, Calico (Aristolochia elegans)
Plantain, Ribgrass or English (Plantago lanceolata)
Plumbago, native (Plantago scandens)
Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Red Bay (Persea sp.)
Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Ribgrass Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
Shyleaf (Aeschynomene americana)
Silky Gold Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
St. Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum sp.)
Sweet Bay (Magnolia virginiana)
Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)
Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Twinflower (Dyschoriste sp.)
Water Hyssop (Bacopa monnieri)
White Plumbago, native 'weed' (Plantago scandens)
Wild Lime (Zanthoxylum fagara)
Willow (Salix sp.)
Wooly Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa)
By Botanical Name
Aeschynomene americana (Shyleaf)Alcea rosea (Hollyhock)
Aristolochia elegans (Calico Vine)
Aristolochia tomentosa (Wooly Pipevine)
Asclepias curassavica (Tropical Milkweed)
Asimina triloba (PawPaw)
Bacopa monnieri (Water Hyssop)
Baleria sp. (Philippine Violet)
Blechum brownei (Green Shrimp)
Bohemeria cylindrica (False Nettle)
Cassia bicapsularis (Christmas Cassia)
Cassia alata (Candlestick Cassia)
Cassia fasciculata (Partridge Pea)
Celtis sp. (Hackberry Tree)
Clitoria sp. (Blue Pea Vine)
Dyschoriste sp. (Twinflower)
Foeniculum sp. (Fennel)
Gnaphalium sp. (Cudweed)
Indigofera spicata (Creeping Idigo)
Lindera benxoin (Spicebush Tree )
Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Poplar Tree)
Magnolia virginiana (Sweet Bay Tree)
Oleander Nerium (Oleander)
Parietaria floridana (Pellitory)
Passiflora biflora (Boomerang Passionvine)
Passiflora caruela (Blue Passionvine)
Passiflora foetida (Running Pop Passionvine)
Passiflora incense (Incense Passionvine)
Passiflora incarnata (Maypop Passionvine)
Passiflora violacea (Lavender Lady Passionvine)
Passiflora suberosa (Corky Stem Passionvine)
Persea sp. (Red Bay and Swamp Bay)
Pertoselunum sp. (Flat Leaf or Italian Parsley)
Pertoselunum sp. (Curly Parsley)
Phyla nodiflora (Frogfruit)
Plantago lanceolata (Ribgrass or English Plantain)
Plumbago scandens (White Native Plumbago)
Prunus serotina (Black Cherry)
Ruellia brittoniana (Summer Petunia, Mexican Petunia)
Russelia equisetiformis (Firecracker, weeping)
Russelia sarmentosa (Firecracker, upright)
Ruta graveolens (Rue)
Salix sp. (Willow)
Stenotaphrum sp. (St. Augustine Grass, Variegated)
Coontie (Zamia pumila)
Zanthoxylum fagara (Wild Lime)
Visit Our Specialty Sites
All photographs on this site are copyright protected.
For permission to use any
photo, please contact Edith Smith at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm.
Butterfly Release companies located outside the
mainland United States.
Release Companies Outside the Mainland United
States
TO PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT US edith@buyabutterfly.com
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm Toll free 877-485-2458
12876 SW CR 231 Brooker, Fl 32622 Stephen & Edith Smith
Located 45 minutes from the Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
This butterfly website built with advice from Starting Dreams.
All photographs on this site are copyright protected.
For permission to use any photo, please contact Edith Smith at Shady Oak Butterfly Farm.
Butterfly Release companies located outside the mainland United States.
Release Companies Outside the Mainland United States
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm Toll free 877-485-2458 12876 SW CR 231 Brooker, Fl 32622 Stephen & Edith Smith
Located 45 minutes from the Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
This butterfly website built with advice from Starting Dreams.
Member of the
Association for Butterflies: Research, Conservation, Farming, and Gardening at www.forbutterflies.org
Member of the
Association for Butterflies: Research, Conservation, Farming, and Gardening at www.forbutterflies.org