BUTTERFLIES AND THEIR LARVAL FOODPLANTS

Photographed and compiled by Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu) Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92717

Butterflies can be attracted to your garden by providing suitable flowers from which they can obtain nectar. Most butterflies can utilize a wide variety of flowers, including those of many cultivated varieties, as nectar sources. However, a more critical need is for the plants that provide food for the larval (caterpillar) stages, and most species will accept only one or a few species of plants at this stage. If a butterfly is found near your area, you can probably attract it and increase its population by planting the correct foodplants for the caterpillars. Although the caterpillars will feed on the leaves of these plants, the damage is usually minor and only temporary. Caterpillars of some species feed on plants that are usually considered weeds, and you can benefit populations of these species by not removing all of the weeds.

The following table lists the larval foodplants for most of the butterfly species and a few of the more interesting moths found in Orange County. Many of the listed plants are available from Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano or Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita. A more extensive discussion of the biology of our local butterflies can be found in Getting into Butterflies by Larry Orsak. More information about butterfly gardening at: Glorious Butterfly

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