NOVA Landscaping with Purpose: Native Plants to Attract & Support Monarch Butterflies

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VDCR) put together a list of Virginia Native Plants that support Monarch Butterflies throughout the whole year and all stages their life cycle. In addition to supporting the Monarchs, these native plants look beautiful (almost) year-round and tend to require less water and maintenance than non-natives. Let's walk through the list chronologically:

Swamp Milkweed

Pink blossoms from this plant provide nectar for Monarch Butterflies from July through August and Swamp Milkweed's leaves are important for the butterflies egg and larvae stages.

Butterfly Weed

Orange flowers provide nectar from June through August and their leaves provide food during the Monarch's egg and larvae stages.

New York Aster

This plant's purple blossoms provide nectar from August through October.

Threadleaf Coreopsis

Yellow blooms from this Virginia native provide nectar for the Monarch's from June through October.

Sneezeweed

Sneezeweed's yellow flowers create nectar for the butterflies from July through September.

Narrow-leaf Sunflower

This NoVA native's beautiful yellow or red/orange blossom provides nectar from September through October.

Oxeye Sunflower

Another yellow flower that provides nectar from June through September.

Eastern Rosemallow

Eastern Rosemallow's pink blooms also provide nectar from June to September.

Bee Balm

From June through August, these purple or red flowers provide nectar for the Monarchs.

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Summer Phlox

This VA favorite's lavender flowers provide nectar from July through September.

Sweet Goldenrod

These yellow blossoms provide nectar from August through September.

New York Ironweed

Despite it's name, New York Ironweed is a Northern Virginia native and it's purple flowers provide nectar from August through September.

When choosing which plants are right for your garden, Plant Virginia Natives reccomends to choose a diverse range of plants that bloom throught the growing season (spring, summer, and fall), plant big patches of each to make for better foraging, and always opt for chemical free pesticides/herbicides as chemicals can kill and further endanger pollinators. Be sure to check out their website for more tips, tricks, and helpful information about native planting in VA here!