Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Time to tell us your Top Three Nectar Plants of the Season!, 1 by tabasco

tabasco wrote:
Hi, Lep lovers!

It's that time of year (for many of us, anyway). The gardens are about ready to be put to bed and the seed catalogs are starting to arrive (Thompson & Morgans) and I am dreaming of next year's butterfly garden!

So tell us!? What are your top three Butterfly garden plants and why (only three allowed--be choosey).

(And please tell us if it isn't apparent on your ID where you are located or your garden 'habitat' so we have an idea of your butterfly environment.)

My top three for our midwest suburban yarden are:

Verbena bonarienses, (absolutely essential here for long season bloom attraction)

Zinnia Benary's Giant (for fun and color mostly, and the butterflies like them)

Milkweed curassavica (silky red/yellow) for the monarchs, of course, but 40 of our other butterflies nectar on them, too...

So please tell us your observations!? I'm taking notes for next year! t.