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Great Lakes
These are some of the common, showy butterflies of this region and the food plant (or plants) appropriate for caterpillars of each species. |
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Butterfly Species
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Caterpillar Plants
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Red-spotted Purple
Limenitis arthemis astyanax |
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Willow, poplar, cherry |
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Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele
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Various violets (Viola species) |
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Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa |
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Willow, poplar, elm |
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Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui |
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Various mallows, thistles |
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Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
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Plantago, various snapdragons |
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Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice |
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Clovers |
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Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
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Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia) |
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Giant Swallowtail
Papilio cresphontes |
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Citrus, Hop Tree, Prickly Ash |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus |
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Willow, poplar, alder |
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Monarch
Danaus plexippus |
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Milkweeds |
Nectar Plants
These are the best flowers to plant in this region to attract a wide variety of butterfly species. The plants listed here have been shown to be tolerant of the local climate and particularly attractive to the butterflies mentioned above.
| Butterfly Bush |
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Buddleia davidii |
| False Indigo (native) |
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Baptisia leucantha |
| Blazingstars (native) |
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Liatris species |
| Yarrow (native) |
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Achillea millefolium |
| Purple Coneflower (native) |
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Echinacea purpurea |
| Garden Phlox (native) |
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Phlox paniculata |
| Lilac |
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Syringia vulgaris |
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