Kim Eierman
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Larval Host Plants for Butterflies and Moths
Use plants that are appropriate to your landscape conditions, emphasizing plants that are native to your region.
Species and bloom time may vary based on region. Remember that plant diversity is crucial.
Reference these lists in combination with other recommended resources to select the best possible pollinator plants for your Pollinator Victory Garden.
| Trees & Shrubs | Examples of Caterpillars That Use Them |
| Acer rubrum (red maple) | Cecropia Moth |
| Amelanchier spp. (serviceberries) | Striped Hairstreak |
| Apios americana (groundnut) | Silver Spotted Skipper |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry) | Hoary Elfin, Brown Elfin |
| Aristolochia spp. (pipevine) | Pipevine Swallowtail |
| Asimina triloba (pawpaw) | Zebra Swallowtail, Pawpaw Sphinx |
| Betula spp. (birches) | Mourning Cloak, White Admiral, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail |
| Carpinus caroliniana (ironwood) | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Striped Hairstreak |
| Carya spp. (hickory) | Banded Hairstreak, Hickory Hairstreak |
| Ceaonothus americana (New Jersey tea) | Summer Azure |
| Celtis occidentalis (hackberry) | Hackberry Emperor, Mourning Cloak, QuestionhMark, American Snout |
| Chionanthus virginicus (fringetree) | Rustic Sphinx |
| Cornus spp. (dogwoods) | Spring Azure, Summer Azure |
| Crataegus spp. (hawthorns) | Striped Hairstreak |
| Diospyros virginiana (persimmon) | Luna Moth |
| Fagus grandifolia (American beech) | Early Hairstreak |
| Fraxinus spp. (ash) | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Hickory Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, Viceroy |
| Gleditisa triacanthos (honey locust) | Silver Spotted Skipper |
| Juglans cinerea (butternut) | Banded Hairstreak, Hickory Hairstreak |
| Juglans nigra (black walnut) | Banded Hairstreak, Luna Moth, Regal Moth |
| Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar) | Juniper Hairstreak |
| Lindera benzoin (spicebush) | Spicebush Swallowtail |
| Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree) | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
| Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay) | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
| Photinia spp. (chokeberries) | Coral Hairstreak |
| Pinus spp. (pines) | Eastern Pine Elfin |
| Pinus strobus (Eastern white pine) | Gray Hairstreak |
| Populus deltoides (cottonwood) | Viceroy |
| Prunus spp. (cherries, plums) | Coral Hairstreak, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red Spotted Purple |
| Quercus spp. (oaks) | White-M Hairstreak, Banded Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak |
| Rhus spp. (sumacs) | Spring Azure, Summer Azure |
| Salix spp. (willows) | Mourning Cloak, Viceroy |
| Sassafras albidum (sassafras) | Spicebush Swallowtail |
| Ulmus americana (American elm) | Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak, Question Mark, Painted Lady |
| Vaccinium spp. (blueberries) | Spring Azure, Pink-edged Sulfur, Striped Hairstreak, Henry’s Elfin |
| Viburnum spp. (viburnums) | Spring Azure, Henry’s Elfin |
| Grasses and Sedges | Sample of Caterpillars That Use Them |
| Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) | Delaware Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb Skipper |
| Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) | Green Skipper, Sheep Skipper, Dotted Skipper, Orange Skipperling |
| Carex stricta (tussock sedge) | Mulberry Wing, Eyed Brown, Black Dash |
| Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hairgrass) | Umber Skipper |
| Elymus hystrix (bottlebrush grass) | Northern Pearly Eye, Little Wood Satyr |
| Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) | Delaware Skipper, Dotted Skipper |
| Scirpus cyperinus (wool grass) | Dion Skipper |
| Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) | Indian Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb Skipper |
| Sorgastrum nutans (Indian grass) | Pepper and Salt Skipper |
| Flowering Perennials | Sample of Caterpillars That Use Them |
| Actea racemosa (black cohosh) | Spring Azure |
| Antennaria spp. (pussytoes) | Painted Lady |
| Aquilegia canadensis (columbine) | Columbine Duskywing |
| Aruncus dioicus (goat’s beard) | Dusky Azure |
| Asclepias spp. (milkweeds) | Monarch, Queen |
| Cardamine diphylla (two-leaved toothwort) | West Virginia White |
| Chelone glabra (white turtlehead) | Baltimore Checkerspot |
| Doellingeria umbellata (flat topped aster) | Harris’ Checkerspot |
| Erigeron philadelphicus (fleabane) | Northern Metalmark |
| Fragaria virginiana (Virginia strawberry) | Grizzled Skipper |
| Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed) | Silvery Checkerspot |
| Helianthus spp. (sunflowers) | Silvery Checkerspot, Gorgone Checkerspot |
| Lupinus perennis (wild lupine) | Karner Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Wild Indigo Duskywing |
| Mentha spp. (mints) | Summer Azure |
| Mimulus ringens (monkey flower) | Common Buckeye, Baltimore |
| Penstemon hirsutus (hairy beardtongue) | Baltimore |
| Potentilla canadensis (dwarf cinquefoil) | Grizzled Skipper |
| Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan) | Gorgone Checkerspot, Bordered Patch |
| Senna hebecarpa (wild senna) | Cloudless Sulphur |
| Symphyotrichum spp. (asters) | Pearl Crescent |
| Verbena spp. (verbenas) | Common Buckeye |
| Verbesina alternifolia (wingstem) | Summer Azure |
| Viola spp. (violets) | Great Spangled Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary |
| Zizia spp. (alexanders) | Black Swallowtail |
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