Butterfly & Pollinator Food/Shelter Plants, 2020

Did you know that half of our global agriculture depends on wild insects to pollinate the crops?[1] Residential gardeners of the Richmond, Sugar Land, and Houston area will be doing their communities a great service by providing a happy habitat for birds and insects. Without pollinators, our flowers don’t bloom and our trees don’t fruit. A larger population of pollinators can also reduce the need for chemical insecticides[2]. Why not work with and support our local ecology when everyone benefits?

Gardening to attract pollinators is easy and a great way to get the whole family involved and outside. Children (and children-at-heart) love to experience the magic of watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly; it’s enough to inspire a life-long love of nature. Including host and nectar plants in your garden will guarantee metamorphosis miracles in every season! And remember, planting the right flowers won’t help unless you replace harmful chemical treatments with pollinator-friendly organic ones. Consult our Organic Gardening article for more information.

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Host Plants

Host plants are the specific plants that caterpillars need to eat in order to be able to turn into butterflies. Below are our top choices for a variety of butterflies.

Nectar Plants

ANNUALS

Alyssum, Butterfly Weed, Calendulas, Celosia, Dianthus, Lobelia, Lobularia, Marigolds, Pansies, Petunias, Snapdragons, Stock, Violas, Winter Phlox

Perennials

• Autumn Sage

• Bulbine

• Chapel Hill Yellow Lantana

• Coneflowers

• Creeping Yellow Turnera

• Cupheas

• Firecracker Plant

• Flame Acanthus

• Four Nerve Daisy

• Frogfruit

• Georgia Savory

• Gregg’s Mist Flower

• Gulf Coast Penstemon

• Hamelia/Firebush

• Little Joe Pye Weed

• Mexican Bush Sage

• Mexican Heather

• Native Fall Aster

• New Gold Lantana

• Stoke’s Aster

• Pigeonberry

• Porterweed

• Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris)

• Red Rocket Russelia

• Yarrow

• Scarlet Bouvardia

• Shrimp Plant

• Society Garlic

• Texas Rock Rose

• Trailing Purple Lantana

• Turk’s Cap

• Blue Mist Flower

• White Wing Mussaenda

• Winecup

Shelter Plants

Shelter Plants

• Adagio Maiden Grass

• Autumn Glow Lindheimer’s Muhly

• Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass

• Little Kitten Maiden Grass

• Little Zebra Maiden Grass

• Pink Flamingos Muhly Grass

• Pink/Gulf Coast Muhly Grass

• Prairie Blue Little Bluestem

• Princess Caroline Fountain Grass

• Purple Fountain Grass

• Regal Mist Muhly Grass

Trees & Shrubs

• Abelias

• Almond Verbena

• American Beautyberry

• Butterfly Bush

• Duranta

• Dwarf Bottlebrush

• Esperanza

• Jatropha

• Mexican Bauhinia

• Plumbago

• Pride of Barbados

• Calliandra

• Thryallis

• Vitex

Pink Muhly Grass blooming in Fall.

The “Big Pond“ at Enchanted Gardens, where the water lily pads are a convenient rest stop for pollinators to sip a drink.

Water Source

The Brazos River Bend area and Houston—nicknamed the Bayou City for Buffalo Bayou—is a natural wetland. The native and migratory wildlife (including pollinators) depend on these water sources to sustain their busy wanderings. If your residence is not situated by a natural water source, do them a great service and install an artificial one. Ponds, fountains, and birdbaths will keep wild birds and bugs buzzing, resulting in more flowers and fruit for you to enjoy!

Pollinator Protection Checklist

❏    read and follow all pesticide directions and precautions

❏    determine if pesticides may be toxic to pollinators

❏    use an integrated pest management approach

❏    follow good pesticide stewardship practices at all times

❏    cooperate and communicate with others (ask questions)

❏    apply pesticides in the evening when pollinators are less active

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Resources

1. Noyes, Lydia. “Chemical Fungicides Attract Bees.” Heirloom Gardener Summer 2018: 12. Print.

2. Noyes, Lydia. “In-Field Wildflower Strips Support Beneficial Insects.” Heirloom Gardener Summer 2018: 13. Print.

3. Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides; Alabama Cooperative Extension

   http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1088/ANR-1088.pdf

4. The Xerces Society

   https://xerces.org/

5. Pollinator Partnership

   http://pollinator.org/

6. Texas Butterfly Ranch

   https://texasbutterflyranch.com/

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Written by Ashley Grubb | Edited by Isabella Serimontrikul