Butterfly Lifecycle Garden Kit: This large kit has been curated for the butterflies! It's chock full of larval host plants—including two kinds of milkweed for our beloved Monarchs—and a mix of plants that will provide nectar throughout the summer and into fall. Bloom times range from late April through October for beauty throughout the growing season. While these plants are busy supporting beautiful butterflies, the native bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds will also crash the party for a pollinator extravaganza that lasts all summer long!
Design Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full sun or part shade and a moderate moisture level is ideal for this grouping.
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant—position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front.
- Plant 1 sq foot apart
Kit Contents:
13 varieties, 26 plants in all. Details for each are listed below. Each is pictured to the left on your screen in the order in which they are listed (just after the photo of the munching Black Swallowtail caterpillar)
Approximate Garden Size: approx 26 sq ft, example: 3' x 9' or 4'x 7'
2- Rose Milkweed
2- Butterfly Milkweed
2- Black-Eyed Susan/Orange Coneflower
2- Columbine
2- Golden Alexander
2- Lavender Beardtongue
2- Little Bluestem
2- New England Aster (Keystone species)
2- Purple Love Grass
2- Riddell's Goldenrod (Keystone species)
2- Smooth Blue Aster (Keystone species)
2- Wild Petunia
2- Wild Strawberry
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: June, July, August
Bloom Color: Pink
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Monarch and Queen butterflies; excellent nectar source for other pollinators; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value to Native Bees and Bumble Bees
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2'
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: Orange
Attracts: Butterflies and native bees
Resistance: Deer
Pollinator benefit: Larval host for Monarch butterfly, Grey hairstreak, Queens; good nectar plant
Black-Eyed Susan/ Orange Cone Flower (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: Up to 3'
Bloom Time: June through October
Bloom Color: Yellow to orange
Deer Resistance: High
Attracts: Beneficial native bees, butterflies, and birds; seeds for birds in fall/winter
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host to Gorgone Checkerspot & Bordered Patch butterflies; good nectar source, valuable to native bees
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Time: April through June
Bloom Color: Red
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Columbine Duskywing Butterfly
Lavender (Hairy) Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil: Well drained
Height: 1' to 3'
Bloom Time: June, July
Bloom Color: Pink, purple
Attracts: Hummingbirds, butterflies
Larval Host: Chalcedon Checkerspot, the Baltimore Checkerspot, and Edith's Checkerspot butterflies
Pollinator benefits: Excellent nectar source for butterflies, native bees, and hummingbirds; Xerces Society rates this as having Special Value for Native Bees and Bumble Bees
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Perennial Grass
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Type: Well-drained soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based
Height: 2'-4'
Leaf color: green
Fruiting Time: May-August
Fruit: white, greenish-yellow seed heads
Attracts: Many Butterflies (a large variety of skippers); Birds with seeds and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper, Indian Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb butterfly, Dixie skipper; nesting materials for native bees
New England Aster (Symphiotrichum novae-angliae)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 5ft
Bloom Time: August - October
Bloom Color: Purple
Resistant to Deer, Drought
Attracts: Bees, butterflies, birds
Pollinator benefit: Larval Host Plant for Checkerspot butterfly and various moths, late season nectar producer for all nectaring insects
Keystone Species that Supports 133 Native Species!
Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
Perennial grass
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil: Sandy
Height: 8" - 18"
Bloom color: Red, Purple
Bloom Time: Aug - October
Resistant to: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Attracts: Birds, native bees, butterflies
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host plant for Zabulon Skipper butterfly; nesting material for native bees
Birds love the seeds!
Riddell's Goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist, Wet,
Soil Type: Sandy, Rocky & Clay Soils, Well-Drained
Height: 3'–4'
Bloom Time: August–October
Bloom Color: Yellow
Deer: Resistant
Tolerates: Salt, Wet & Shade
Drought: Moderately resistant
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; migrating Monarchs
Keystone Species that Supports 142 Different Species!
Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
Native Perennial
Sun: Full, Partial
Height: 2–4'
Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Soil: Sandy loam, clay loam
Attracts: Pollinators, butterflies, birds
Resistant: Drought
Larval Host Plant: Checkerspot & Pearl Crescent
Keystone Species that Supports 133 Native Species!
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Partial Sun, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry, Medium
Height: Up to 2'
Bloom Time: June - August
Bloom Color: Purple
Deer: Resistant
Drought: Somewhat tolerant
Attracts: Butterflies
Pollinator benefits: Excellent nectar source for butterflies and native bees;
Larval Host: Common Buckeye butterfly
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part shade
Soil Moisture: Dry to Medium-Wet
Soil Type: Thrives in a wide range of soils: acid to lime, rich to poor, sand to clay
Height: low, ground cover
Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Color: White
Attracts: Butterflies & bees; berries attract birds and other wildlife
Pollinator benefit: Larval Host for 78 different species, including: Grey Hairstreak and Grizzled Skipper butterflies; early nectar source; good for native bees