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

mellielong wrote:
Hmmm...of things I deliberately planted I'd have to go with:
1) Plumbagos (aka leadwort)
2) Porterweed
3) Blanket Flowers ("Goblin" variety)

Of things I see growing in the wild, I'd have to agree with lantana. It's such a weed around here I can't bring myself to actually grow it. However, there's some that grows at the base of an oak tree out by the road (not technically our property anymore) and so I'm just letting it grow. In the same vein, I let the Spanish Needles (bidens alba) grow this year while I was in between landscaping ideas. Apparently, some butterflies need a compound in the flower in order to mature sexually. It brought in lots of butterflies that I hadn't seen before; particularly, lots of the smaller skippers. And in my surprise call - frogfruit. I didn't know what the heck it was when I saw it listed as a host plant in my book so I looked it up. Once I could identify it, I noticed butterflies on it in the preserve, my neighbor's yard, the parking lot I use downtown, etc.

I drive by a small preserve on my way home everyday. I haven't been in a few months but I saw that the liatris has just started blooming so I'll have to check it out. You can see the purple from the road - I love it! I may have to nominate a new plant!

Here's a Tiger Swallowtail enjoying the plumbago.