A Plug for a Great Organization

IF YOU LOVE THE GARDEN'S SMALLER CREATURES, one organization you'll want to know about is the Xerces Society, which is based in Portland OR and is devoted to the conservation of insects and other small animals. Their book Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1990) contains all sorts of great information on attracting butterflies. (And here's a link to their online pdf about butterfly gardening.)

Here are some of the plants and plant families the Xerces Society recommends for feeding adult butterflies. All of these would make excellent additions to a flower garden. For photos of several of these plants, see the post previous to this one. Most of these plants are highly adaptable, but you'll want to check to make sure they're appropriate for your region.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium spp.)
Daisies (Chrysanthemum spp.)
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
Yarrow (Achillea spp.)
Stonecrop (Sedum spp.)
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Asters (Aster spp.)
Yarrow (Achillea spp.)
Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
Ageratum or flossflower (Ageratum houstonianum)
Coreopsis or tickseed (Coreopsis spp.)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Indian-blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
Gumweeds (Grindelia spp.)
Gayfeathers or blazing-stars (Liatris spp.)
Zinnias (Zinnia spp.)
Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpiodes)
Pinks (Dianthus spp.)
Pincushions (Scabiosa spp.)
Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Mints (Mentha spp.)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Sage (Salvia spp.)
Thyme (Thymus spp.)
Onions (Allium spp.)
Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.)
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
Phlox (Phlox spp.)
Wild strawberry (Fragaria spp.)
Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)
Jupiter's beard or Red valerian (Centranthus ruber)
Verbenas (Verbena spp.)

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