Plants for Butterflies and Other Pollinators
Showing 25–32 of 225 results
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Asclepias incarnata Swamp milkweed Z 3-9
Fragrant medium pink umbels, like an upside down ballerina’s skirt, July – September. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Fragrant medium pink umbels, like an upside down ballerina’s skirt, July – September. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Size: 3’-4’ x 2-3’
Care: Sun in moist to moist well-drained soil
Native: North America – all states except those along the Pacific Coast – Wisconsin native.
Wildlife Value: host for Monarch caterpillars, flowers are source of nectar for several butterfliesNamed after Asclepias, a Greek god of medicine. Native American groups used Swamp milkweed – Chippewa to increase their strength & the stems made into twine; Iroquois to heal navels in babies, to increase or decrease urine and to make a person strong enough to punish witches; Meskwaki to drive out tapeworms; and Menominee used it as an ingredient in food – added to deer soup & cornmeal mush. Oneida used the root to remedy asthma and whooping cough. They made thread to sew moccasins with the stems. Lakota Sioux: “The pulverized root is made into a salve which is used to treat swollen glands. The young seed pods are edible after cooking. An infusion of the roots is used to treat asthma, rheumatism, syphilis, and a weak heart.” Listed as growing in England in Philip Miller’s Gardeners’ Dictionary, 1768. Grown at America’s 1st botanic garden, Elgin Botanic Garden 1811. Pressed specimen in Emily Dickinson’s herbarium. “The downy parachutes . . . attached to each seed are six times more buoyant than cork and five times warmer than wool. Large quantities of milkweed were grown for use as stuffing in pillows and lifejackets during World War II.” USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed, Pleurisy-root Z 4-9
Gorgeous - July - September bright orange cymes
OUT OF STOCK
Gorgeous – July – September bright orange cymes
Size: 2-3' x 12"
Care: Sun in well-drained to moist well-drained soil
Native: East and south North America, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Host for Monarch caterpillars and its nectar is a favorite for 13 different butterflies: 4 Swallowtails, 2 Fritillaries, Checkered white, Spring azure, Small copper, Sachem, Monarch, and Coral and Gray hairstreaks. Attracts Ladybugs that eat many insect pests.
Awards: Great Plants for Great Plains; Perennial Plant Assn. Plant of the Year 2017.Named after Asclepias, a Greek god of medicine. Omaha Indians ate the raw root to cure bronchial and pulmonary ailments, their Shell Society was the authorized guardian of the plant, taking 4 days to dig, prepare and distribute the root. Most important medicine for Menominee Indians. The Iroquois smashed roots on legs to impart strength to runners. Navajo cured coyote bites and flu with Butterfly weed. HoChunk placed masticated root into wounds. Collected and sent to England by Rev. John Banister in colonial Virginia c. 1680. Cultivated by Jefferson. Pressed specimen in Emily Dickinson’s herbarium.
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Aster alpinus Alpine Aster Z 5-7
Frilly little daisies, May-June, lavender, pink or white
Frilly little lavender daisies, May-June. Plant where they will be seen in the front of the garden.
Size: 6" x 12"
Care: Full sun well-drained soil.
Native: Rockies
Wildlife Value: attract butterflies
Awards: England’s Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit.
Size: Border/Rock gardensAster means star, referring to the flower’s form. Listed in Philip Miller’s Gardeners’ Dictionary 1768: “Grows naturally upon the Alps… at the top of each stalk is one large blue flower…this flowers in June…”
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Aster divaricatus syn. Eurybia divaricatus White wood aster Z 4-8
Loose white corymbs blooming from August to October
Loose white corymbs blooming from August to October
Size: 12" x 12" and spreading
Care: part shade to shade in moist well-drained to dry soil.
Native: East No. America Quebec to Alabama and west to Ohio
Wildlife Value: Aster species are nectar sources for many butterflies – Checkered white and Checkered skippers, Spring azure, Pearl crescent, Buckeye, Painted lady, Fiery skipper, Sachem, Sleepy orange, Silver-spotted skipper and Monarch.
Awards: Recipient Great Plant Pick Award from Elizabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden.Aster means star, referring to the flower’s form. Collected by Philadelphia nurseryman John Bartram before 1776. Sold in America’s 1st plant catalog, Bartram’s Broadside, 1783. Gertrude Jekyll, mother of the perennial border, often used Aster divaricatus in combination with Bergenia.
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Aster laterifolius ‘Horizontalis’ syn Symphyotrichum laterifolius ‘Horizontalis’ Horizontal Calico Aster Z 4-8
Unique horizontally branching aster covered in small pink and white daisy-like flowers with dark pink centers blooming in late summer-fall. Foliage turns copper/purple in fall.
OUT OF STOCK
Unique horizontally branching aster covered in small pink and white daisy-like flowers with dark pink centers blooming in late summer-fall. Foliage turns copper/purple in fall.
Size: 24” x 24”
Care: full sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Native: Eastern and Central North America
Wildlife Value: attracts bees and butterflies. Deer resistant, Black walnut resistant.
Awards: RHS Award of Garden MeritFirst described by French botanist René Desfontaines (1750-1802). Harvard botanist Asa Gray named the variety in 1895.
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Aster novae angliae syn. Symphyotrichum New England Aster Z 4-8
August – October, classic violet, pink or magenta daisies
August – October, classic violet, pink or magenta daisies
Size: 3-4' x 24"
Care: Full sun dry to moist soil. Heat and drought tolerant.
Native: Vt to Alabama, west to N. M., Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Nectar source for many butterflies - Checkered white and Checkered skippers, Spring azure, Pearl crescent, Buckeye, Painted lady, Fiery skip butterfly, Sachem, Sleepy orange, Silver-spotted skipper and Monarch. Host for caterpillars Wavy-lined emerald moth.Aster means star, referring to the flower’s form. For the Cherokee New England aster tea cured fevers and diarrhea. Roots remedied pain and inflammation of the nose and throat. Introduced to garden cultivation by John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1662) in 1637 when he sent it to England where upon borders of New England aster became common. Washington grew New England Aster at Mount Vernon.
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Aster oblongifolius syn. Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, Aromatic aster Z 3-8
Purplish blue daisies with yellow centers blooming in September to November, Good, bushy mound shape. Called “aromatic” for the fragrance of its leaves.
Purplish blue daisies with yellow centers blooming in September to November, Good, bushy mound shape. Called “aromatic” for the fragrance of its leaves.
Size: 1-2’ x 1-3’
Care: sun to shade in well-drained to moist well-drained soil
Native: Pennsylvania to No. Carolina west to Wyoming & Texas, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Bees collect pollen and nectar from it. Medium sized butterflies collect its nectar. Its leaves support Silvery checkerspot and some moth caterpillars, Deer resistant.
Size: Navajo made a decoction of this to protect against witches.Aster means star, referring to the flower’s form. Navajo made a decoction of this to protect against witches.
Meriwether Lewis collected this on the Expedition September 21, 1804, the day after nearly being swept away while Lewis and the Corps of discovery slept on an eroding sandbar, near the Big Bend of the Missouri River in South Dakota. 1st published description by planthunter Thomas Nuttall (1786-1879) in 1818..
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Astilbe andresii ‘Amethyst’ Z 5-8
pink plumes flowering in July, with oxblood tinged foliage
OUT OF STOCK
Three foot tall pink plumes flowering in July, with oxblood tinged foliage
Size: 36"x 24"
Care: sun to part shade, moist soil essential. Immune walnut toxicity
Wildlife Value: attracts butterfliesAstilbe is Greek from a meaning “without” and stilbe meaning “lustre” referring to the fact that the leaves are not shiny. Early hybrid by George Arends, nurseryman from Ronsdorf, Gemany (1862-1952).
