If you want to attract Swallowtail butterflies to your garden, check out the list of host and nectar plants below for each of the seven species that visit Tennessee!
| Swallowtail Species | Host Plants | Nectar Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Tiger |
Ash (Fraxinus spp.) Birch (Betula spp.) Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) Hickory (Carya spp.) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) Wild Plum (Prunus americana) |
Blackberry (Rubus) Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) Northern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) |
| Black |
Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) Celery (Apium graveolens) Dill (Anethum graveolens) Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Rue (Ruta graveolens) |
Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Vervain (Verbena spp.) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |
| Eastern Tiger | American Basswood (Tilia americana)
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Green Ash Tree (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) Hickory Tree (Carya) Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata) Plum Tree (Prunus domestica) Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Tulip Poplar Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) White Ash Tree (Fraxinus americana) |
Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Vervain (Verbena spp.) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |
| Giant |
Common Rue (Ruta graveolens) Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata) Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)
|
Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Vervain (Verbena spp.) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |
| Pipevine |
Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) Virginia Snakeroot (Aristolochia serpentaria) Wooly Ducthman’s Pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa) |
Azalea (Rhododendron) Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.) Phlox (Phlox paniculata or P. divaricata) Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Thistle (Cirsium discolor) Vervain (Verbena spp.) Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |
| Spicebush |
Redbay (Persea borbonia) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Swampbay (Persea palustris) Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) |
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) Phlox (Phlox paniculata or P. divaricata) Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Thistle (Cirsium discolor) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |
| Zebra | Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) |
Blackberry (Rubus) Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) Eastern Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana) Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Jacobs Ladder (Polemonium reptans) Vervain (Verbena spp.) Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) |