If you want to attract Brush-Footed butterflies to your garden, check out the list of host and nectar plants below for each of the thirty-four species that visit Tennessee!
Brush-Footed Species | Host Plants | Nectar Plants | Brush-Footed Species |
Goatweed Leafwing, Hackberry Emperor | Alabama Croton (Croton alabamensis) | Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) | Red Admiral |
Green Comma | Alder (Alnus glutinosa) | American Cranberry (Viburnum spp.) | Baltimore Checkerspot, Red-Spotted Purple |
Red-Spotted Purple | American Basswood (Tilia americana) | Asters (Asteraceae, Family) | American Snout, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, American Lady, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Viceroy, Monarch |
Question Mark, Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak | American Elm (Ulmus americana) | Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) | Gulf Fritillary, American Lady |
Monarch | Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) | Beggarticks (Bidens frondosa) | Phaon Crescent |
Red-Spotted Purple | Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) | Great Spangled Fritillary |
Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot, Pearl Crescent | Asters (Asteraceae, Family) | Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) | Meadow Fritillary, Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot, Monarch |
Carolina Satyrs | Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) | Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) | Gulf Fritillary, Painted Lady, Monarch |
Southern Pearly-eye | Bamboo Switch Cane (Arundinaria tecta) | Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) | Variegated Fritillary, Diana Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Baltimore Checkerspot, Question Mark, Painted Lady, Monarch |
Northern Pearly-eye | Bearded Shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum) | Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) | Painted Lady |
Green Comma, Mourning Cloak, Red-Spotted Purple | Birch Tree (Betula) | Chickory (Cichorium intybus) | Common Buckeye |
Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot | Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) | Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) | Common Buckeye |
Common Wood-Nymph | Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) | Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) | Variegated Fritillary, Diana Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Baltimore Checkerspot, Question, Mark, American Lady, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Monarch |
Northern Pearly-eye | Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix) | Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata spp.) | Variegated Fritillary, Common Buckeye, Monarch |
Northern Pearly-eye | Broadleaf Uniola (Chasmanthium latifolium) | Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) | Painted Lady, Monarch |
Monarch | Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) | Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) | Meadow Fritillary |
Carolina Satyrs | Carpet Grass (Agrotis compressus) | Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) | American Snout, Variegated Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Pearl Crescent, American Lady, Common Buckeye |
Carolina Satyrs, Little Wood-Satyr | Centipede Grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) | Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) | American Snout |
Monarch | Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) | Fungi | Northern Pearly-eye |
American Snout, Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor | Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) | Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) | American Snout, American Lady, Viceroy, Common Wood-Nymph, Monarch |
Monarch | Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) | Gumweed (Grindelia spp.) | Common Buckeye |
Mourning Cloak, Red-Spotted Purple, Viceroy | Cottonwood Trees (Populus deltoids) | Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) | Diana Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Painted Lady, Monarch |
Red-Spotted Purple | Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum) | Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) | Great Spangled Fritillary, American Lady, Painted Lady, Viceroy, Monarch |
American Lady | Dusty Miller (Artemisia stelleriana) | Lantana (Lantana camara) | Gulf Fritillary, Monarch |
Eastern Comma, Tawny Emperor | Elm Trees (Ulmus, Family) | Licorice Mint (Agastache rupestris) | Gulf Fritillary |
Baltimore Checkerspot | English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) | Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) | American Lady |
Baltimore Checkerspot | False Foxglove (Aureolaria) | Meadowsweets (Spiraea) | Red-Spotted Purple |
Question Mark, Eastern Comma, Red Admiral | False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) | Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) | Monarch |
Monarch | Fewflower Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) | Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) | Common Wood-Nymph |
Phaon Crescent | Fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) | Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) | Great Spangled Fritillary |
Monarch | Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia) | Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) | Meadow Fritillary |
Goatweed Leafwing | Goatweed (Ageratum conyzoides) | Peppermint (Mentha × piperita ) | Variegated Fritillary, Common Buckeye |
Monarch | Green Antelopehorn Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) | Privet (Ligustrum spp) | Painted Lady, Red-Spotted Purple |
Monarch | Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) | Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Monarch |
Baltimore Checkerspot | Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) | Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) | Variegated Fritillary, Diana Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Painted Lady, Red Admiral |
Red-Spotted Purple | Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) | Rotting Fruit | Red-Spotted Purple, Goatweed Leafwing, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor, Southern Pearly-eye, Northern Pearly-eye, Creole Pearly-eye, Gemmed Satyrs, Carolina Satyrs, Little Wood-Satyrs, Common Wood-Nymph |
Painted Lady | Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) | Salvia (Salvia officinalis) | Gulf Fritillary |
Eastern Comma | Hops (Humulus lupulus) | Shepherd’s Needle (Bidens alba) | Phaon Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Viceroy |
American Lady | Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) | Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis) | Gulf Fritillary |
Carolina Satyrs, Little Wood-Satyr, Common Wood-Nymph | Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) | Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) | Variegated Fritillary, Diana Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, Painted Lady, Monarch |
American Lady, Painted Lady | Mallow (Malva sylvestris) | Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) | American Snout, Question Mark |
Phaon Crescent | Mat Grass (Nardus stricta) | Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) | American Lady |
Question Mark, Eastern Comma | Nettle (Urticaceae, Family) | Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) | Monarch |
Red-Spotted Purple | Oak Tree (Quercus) | Thistle (Cirsium discolor) | Great Spangled Fritillary, Painted Lady, Viceroy, Monarch |
Little Wood-Satyr | Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) | Tree Sap | Eastern Comma, Green Comma, Mourning Cloak, Red Admiral, Red-Spotted Purple, Goatweed Leafwing, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor, Southern Pearly-eye, Northern Pearly-eye, Creole Pearly-eye, Appalachian Brown, Gemmed Satyrs, Carolina Satyrs, Little Wood- Satyrs |
Variegated Fritillary | Pansies (Viola × wittrockiana) | Verbena (Vervain spp.) | Great Spangled Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Phaon Crescent, Monarch |
Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary | Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) | Vetch (Vicia sativa) | Great Spangled Fritillary |
American Lady | Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) | Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis) | Baltimore Checkerspot |
Red Admiral | Pellitory (Parietaria judaica) | Winter Cress (Barbarea vulgaris) | Pearl Crescent |
Common Buckeye | Plantain (Plantago major) | Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) | Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Monarch |
Northern Pearly-eye | Plume grass (Saccharum giganteum) | ||
Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) | |||
Common Wood-Nymph | Poverty Oat Grass (Danthonia spicata) | ||
Goatweed Leafwing, Hackberry Emperor | Prairie Tea (Croton monanthogynus) | ||
Monarch | Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) | ||
Common Wood-Nymph | Purpletop Tridens (Tridens flavus) | ||
Variegated Fritillary | Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) | ||
American Lady | Pussy-toe (Antennaria Parlinii) | ||
Question Mark, Eastern Comma | Red Elm Tree (Ulmus rubra) | ||
Monarch | Redwing Milkweed (Asclepias variegata) | ||
Gemmed Satyrs | River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) | ||
Appalachian Brown | Sedges (Cyperaceae) | ||
Red-Spotted Purple | Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) | ||
Common Buckeye | Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) | ||
Red Admiral | Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) | ||
American Snout, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor | Sugarberry Tree (Celtis laevigata) | ||
Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot, American Lady | Sunflowers (Helianthus) | ||
Monarch | Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) | ||
Creole Pearly-eye | Switch Cane (Arundinaria gigantea) | ||
Monarch | Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) | ||
Red Admiral | Tall Wild Nettle (Urtica dioica) | ||
Goatweed Leafwing | Texas Croton (Croton texensis) | ||
Painted Lady | Thistles (Cirsium) | ||
Common Buckeye | Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) | ||
Red-Spotted Purple, Viceroy | Tulip Poplar Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) | ||
Baltimore Checkerspot | Turtlehead (Chelon glabra) | ||
Phaon Crescent | Verbena (Vervain spp.) | ||
Variegated Fritillary, Diana Fritillary, Aphrodite Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary | Violet (Viola spp.) | ||
Northern Pearly-eye | White Grass (Leersia) | ||
Monarch | Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) | ||
Red-Spotted Purple | Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) | ||
Common Buckeye | Wild Petunias (Ruellia) | ||
Green Comma, Mourning Cloak, Red-Spotted Purple, Viceroy | Willows (Salix) | ||
Silvery Checkerspot | Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia) | ||
Red Admiral | Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis) | ||
Variegated Fritillary | Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) |