What flowers have been good for attracting butterflies?

For nectar, open-faced zinnias are a practical place to start. Butterflies can reach the flowers easily, and they tend to keep blooming through the warmer months. A mix of plants with different bloom times, such as milkweed, coneflowers, and late-season asters or goldenrod, can offer food across more of the season.

What works best depends on your region and the butterfly species around you, so it’s worth checking which of those plants grow well locally.

One useful distinction: nectar flowers feed adult butterflies, but host plants give certain caterpillars something to eat. Milkweed is a host for monarch caterpillars. Parsley, dill, and fennel can support black swallowtail caterpillars in parts of North America. If you plant host plants, expect some leaves to get eaten. That’s part of their job.

For a garden that helps more than visiting adults, choose host plants suited to your local butterfly species and pair them with nectar blooms.

I’d look for simple, single blooms rather than tightly packed double varieties. They’re generally easier for butterflies to use. Zinnias are an easy annual option, while locally native flowering plants can be a better fit for supporting the butterflies and other pollinators in your area.

There isn’t one universal winner. Sun, soil, and which species are nearby can change what gets the most visits.