Larval Host Plants for Butterflies | 台北市立動物園資訊網

2017年9月29日—Butterfliesarequiteparticularinthelarvalhostplantstheychoose.Theymustbeplantsthatprovidelarvae(caterpillars)withpropernourishment.

by Ellen Zagory, director of public horticulture and Katie Hetrick, director of marketing and communications

While mature female butterflies can travel long distances, their larvae (caterpillars) cannot. So, when creating gardens to attract butterflies, expand your palette beyond plants that only provide nectar for mature butterflies. There’s another type of plant, called larval host plants, that any well-rounded butterfly garden needs.

Think of a butterfly garden as building a one-stop shopping center for these important pollinators – a place where they can feed, lay their eggs, provide food for their newly hatched larvae, pupate (create their cocoons), emerge, and begin the cycle all over again.

Butterflies are quite particular in the larval host plants they choose. They must be plants that provide larvae (caterpillars) with proper nourishment. And yes, that means, if all goes well, parts of these plants will eventually be devoured by hungry caterpillars. F...