Herbs: Butterflies in the Herb Garden, 1 by tabasco

tabasco wrote:

For those who are interested in adding more Butterfly Larval Host Plants to the Herb Garden here is a list of plants from the Herb Family from Claire Hagen Dole's article in the Butterfly Gardeners' Quarterly http://butterflygardeners.com/herb.htm

Larval plants (butterfly species noted):

Achillea millefolium (yarrow). Painted Lady
Anethum graveolens (dill). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Angelica spp. Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Artemesia absinthium (wormwood). Painted Lady
Artemesia dracunculus 'sativa' (French tarragon). Oregon Swallowtail
Borago officinalis (borage). Painted Lady
Carum carvi (caraway). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Dictamnus spp. (gas plant). Giant Swallowtail
Foeniculum vulgare (fennel). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Glycyrrhiza spp. (licorice). Silver Spotted Skipper
Helichrysum angustifolium (curry plant). Painted Lady
Humulus lupulus (hops). Gray Hairstreak; Comma; Question Mark; Red Admiral
Levisticum officinale (lovage). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). White Peacock
Mentha spp. (mint). White Peacock, Painted Lady
Petroselinum crispum (parsley). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Pimpinella anisum (anise). Black Swallowtail; Anise Swallowtail
Ruta graveolens (rue). Black Swallowtail; Giant Swallowtail. Warning: oils can burn sensitive
skin; wear gloves when handling.
Salvia spp. (sage). Gray Hairstreak; Painted Lady; West Coast Lady
Symphytum officinale (comfrey). Painted Lady
Tanacetum vulgare (tansy). Painted Lady
Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium). Cabbage white
Viola odorata (sweet violet). Fritillaries

I know it bothers some gardeners to have the caterpillars chew up some of the leaves but I happen to love it when it happens--I do plant extra parsleys and dill just for the butterflies to take over...I love the swallowtails in the garden!

I found several threads with additional suggestions for nectar flowers in the butterfly forum, too, if anyone needs new ideas for their part of the country....

Another swallowtail on the verbena bonarienses.