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Butterfly Nectar Sources: Nectar-Rich, Non-Native, Annual Plants for
Butterfly Gardens
Annual plants are valuable in butterfly gardens because they tend to bloom a
long time, especially if the spent blooms are removed. In general, single rather
than double flowers are recommended. When the plant name is not specific (for
example, Verbena), take care to purchase species grown in, or recommended for,
Connecticut. Certain plants that are treated as annuals in Connecticut may be
perennial farther south. None of the plants on the list below are native to
Connecticut. Thus, there is no potential biodiversity risk with using cultivars.
| Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Flower Color1 |
| Ageratum |
Ageratum houstonianum |
B, Pi, W |
| Coreopsis, Dyer’s or Garden |
Coreopsis tinctoria |
Y |
| Cosmos |
Cosmos bipinnatus |
L, R, Pi, W |
| Gaillardia, Annual (Blanket-flower sp.) |
Gaillardia pulchella (var.
pulchella recommended in CT) |
R, Y, O |
| Globe Amaranth |
Gomphrena globosa |
Pu, R, Pi, W, O |
| Heliotrope |
Heliotropium arborescens |
B, Pu, W |
| Impatiens (get annual species) |
Impatiens spp. |
R, W, Pu, Pi, O |
| Lantana |
Lantana spp. |
O, P, R |
| Marigold |
Tagetes spp. |
Y, O |
| Mexican Sunflower |
Tithonia rotundifolia |
O, Y |
| Nicotiana (= Winged Tobacco) |
Nicotiana alata |
LG, R, W, Y |
| Pentas (Egyptian Star Cluster) |
Pentas lanceolata |
R, Pi, W |
| Petunia (some people recommend no hybrids) |
Petunia spp. |
W, and others |
| Phlox, Annual |
Phlox drummondii |
R, Pi, W, L |
| Sunflower, Common (grows very tall) |
Helianthus annuus |
Y |
| Sweet Alyssum |
Lobularia maritima |
Pu, W, R |
| Verbena (cultivated species) |
Verbena spp. |
R, Pi, W, Pu |
| Zinnia (Cut and Come Again Zinnia is particularly
recommended, despite its double flowers) |
Zinnia spp. |
O, Pi, R, W, Y, Pu |
1Flower Color Codes: B=Blue,
L=Lavender, LG=Lime Green, O=Orange, Pi=Pink, Pu=Purple, R=Red, W=White
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