All About Pollinators & Butterflies

August 19, 2026

What is a pollinator? Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one plant to another, thus a pollinator does the transferring. Pollinations come in many different forms - everything from you and me to bees, butterflies, wasps, birds, other insects and even small mammals. Water and wind can act like a pollinator as well.

So why are pollinators so important? Pollinators are not just for flowers and garden enjoyment. Pollinators provide pollination services an innumerable amount of different plant species and crops! Needless to say, they play a huge role in the world’s food production. 1 out of every 3 bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators.

How To Attract Pollinators and Butterflies

Having the right plants in your garden is the first step. Having a variety of plants that bloom at different times of the year provides ample nectar production throughout the seasons. Some butterflies will only lay their eggs on certain plant, called host plants. See the list of plants for attracting butterflies below.

Create a Butterfly Garden That Attracts Butterflies & Pollinators:

Locate a sunny area in your garden. Butterflies, and a majority of the plants they need, require bright sunshine.
Plant nectar producing flowers. Many native butterflies seem to prefer purple, yellow, orange and red colored blossoms.
Select single flowers. The nectar inside a single flower is much more accessible to butterflies. They do not need to “wade through” a mass of petals.
Use large splashes of color. Butterflies are first attracted to flowers by their color.
Masses of flowers are more easily located than single plants.
Plan for all season bloom. Butterflies are active from early spring through late fall. Plant a selection of plants which will provide nectar throughout the growing season.
Include puddling areas. Some butterflies drink and extract salts from moist soil. Create shallow puddles or damp areas in your garden. Occasionally, large numbers of male butterflies congregate around moist areas forming a “puddle club.”
Place flat stones in your garden. Butterflies often perch on stones, bare soil, or vegetation, spreading their wings to bask in the sun. This raises their body temperature so they are able to fly and remain active.
Do not use pesticides in or near your butterfly garden. Most are toxic to them.

Butterflies & Their Host Plants

Black Swallowtail: Parsley, Dill, Bronze Fennel
Cloudless Sulphur: Cassia
Common Buckeye: Snapdragon, Toadflax
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: Prunis spp., Tulip Tree
Giant Swallowtail: Citus
Gray Hairstreak: Hibiscus, Mallow
Gulf Fritillary: Passion Vine
Monarch: Asclepias
Painted Lady: Hollyhock, Mallow
Pearl Crescent: Aster
Sleepy Orange: Cassia
Zebra Longwing: Passion Vine

Pest Control

When we begin to encounter unwanted pests in the garden, such as aphids and mealy bugs, our first instinct is to spray them away with a chemical repellant. However, those sprays are not good for pollinators. Spraying even with organics can still harm the pollinators. If you want to keep those pollinators happy in your garden, the best practice is to let nature run its course.