Get ready to greet monarchs, tiger swallowtails, and more with these butterfly-attracting flowers.
Growing a beautiful garden with flowers that attract butterflies is a rewarding feat.
Before making your flower picks, check which hardiness zone each plant thrives best in.
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Look up yourUSDA Plant Hardiness Zoneand choose flowers for butterflies specific to your zone.
Aster
With their cheery purple and pink blooms, it’s no wonder aster flowers attract butterflies.
Hardiness Zones:3-8
Yarrow
With dense arrangements of blooms, yarrow offers a lush landing pad for butterflies.
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Better yet: It’s easy to care for.
Yarrow can deal with dry soil but prefers full sunlight.
It will attract plenty of butterflies to your garden but is also deer-resistant.
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Butterfly bush grows best in fertile, well-drained soil and full sun.
Be sure to deadhead spent blooms to keep the vibrant flowers (and beautiful butterflies!)
Lavender attracts all types of pollinators, so it will also boost the bee count in your yard.
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It thrives in drier soil and areas with low humidity.
According to the plant pros atCosta Farms, darker blooms and those just about to open smell the strongest.
Hardiness Zones:5-9
Coneflower
If some flowers get all of the attention, coneflower makes the list.
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Plant them in soil with adequate drainage, and pick a spot in your yard that receives full sunlight.
But to avoid doing more harm than good, be careful whichtype of milkweedyou plant.
While tropical milkweed can affect monarch butterflies' migration patterns,native milkweed speciesdo not interfere with migration.
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Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Marigold
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This annual is aneasy-to-grow flowerand blooms all summer long.
Marigolds are essentially disease-free and come in various colors and heights.
Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Goldenrod
Goldenrods are perennials that love the sun.
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They’re deer- anddrought-resistantand can tolerate dry conditions.
Butterflies (and you) will enjoy the lovelygolden-yellow flowersthat bloom from late summer through fall.
It thrives in wet soil but will grow in nearly all sunny (or partially sunny) areas.
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The beautiful red flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds during the summer.
Their blooms are nectar-rich, whichattracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Salvia is deer- and disease-resistant and can stand low amounts of water.
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Their seeds are edible, so learninghow to grow sunflowersis a plus.
Many pollinators, including butterflies, are attracted to buttonbush’s fragrant blooms.
This plant is best for wet soil and can even thrive in areas with flooding.
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Hardiness Zones: 5-11
Cornflower
Perennial cornfloweraka bachelor’s buttons or mountain bluetthrives in sun-filled spots.
It tends to bloom in early summer and can grow to one to two feet in height.
Cornflowers provide white, pink, or blue flowers, which butterflies love.
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Their blooms give off a clove scent and will complement other perennial flowers in your garden.
Its blooms can be bronze, yellow, or gold and flourish in the late summer.
Lantana
Lantana thrives in sunny and hot weather areas and tolerates humid conditions, like thesehumidity-loving plants.
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Its flowers are full of nectarperfect for pollinating bees and butterfliesand will bloom during the summer.
Lantana is also deer- and rabbit-resistant.
Hardiness Zones: 8-11
Zinnia
This annual requires little maintenance and is easy to care for.
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Zinnia plants come in various shapes and sizes and produce flowers in plenty of colorsexcept for blue.
It’s no wonder that butterflies and hummingbirds love this floweradd ahummingbird feeder, and your garden is complete!
It loves the sun and slightly moist soil.
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When it blooms, you’ll see beautifully dark foliage and white flowers.
Joe-Pye weed spreads quickly and easily, so plant it where you’re able to control the spread.
An untamed hillside is perfect, as the plant can help overtakeunwelcome weeds.
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Phlox is also deer-resistant.
It enjoys lots of sun and its flowers come in various colors.
While it may attract pollinators, it will help repel deer.
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It blooms from the middle of summer through early autumn.
Its various colors of flowers are loved by pollinators.
Sedum blooms in late summer and fall, adding to the list offall flowersyou can grow.
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Hollyhock
Hollyhock works wonderfully in hot, sunny areas and will thrive in times of drought.
Blooming in mid-to-late summer, its flowers can be pink, red, purple, andeven black.
Hollyhock is fairly deer-resistant and will attract hummingbirds and other pollinators to your garden.
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Helenium
Also known as sneezeweed, helenium provides plenty of color to your butterfly garden.
This flower enjoys lots of sunshine and can grow almost anywhere.
Hot summers, however, are not well tolerated by this plant.
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Snapdragons are deer-resistant but attract butterflies and hummingbirds with their lovely scent and bright colors.
Hardiness Zones: 7-10
Ironweed
Ironweed grows best in moist soil and can even endure brief flooding.
Ironweed’s gorgeous purple flowers are a beautiful summer garden addition.
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With such a deep color, it will certainly help attract pollinators to your garden.
Its blooms will close in the evening but can be enjoyed all day by you and pollinators.
Their grassy foliage and tall, colorful blooms are perfect for attracting bees, birds, and butterflies.
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From June to September, each plant can produce almost 90,000 brightly colored lavender flowers.
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