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Notes on Using Plant Lists
- Use plants appropriate to your landscape conditions, emphasizing plants that are native to your region.
- Species may vary based on region.
- Remember that plant diversity is crucial – not all pollinators use every plant.
- 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 |
