Source:  Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version 11/13/2009).

 

Blackened Bluewing (Myscelia cyananthe)

Nectar Plants:  (prefers rotting fruit)

Host Plants:      none recorded

 

Nectar Plants:  California Buckeye

Host Plants:      Leaves of oaks (Quercus), particularly evergreens

 

Nectar Plants:   Aster, Yarrow, Buttonbush, California buckeye, yerba santa, privet

Host Plants:      chokecherry, willow, wild cherry (prunus), willows (salix), poplar and cottonwood (Populus), and orchard trees

 

Nectar Plants:  aster, goldenrod, joe-pie weed, shepherd's needle, Canada thistle

Host Plants:     trees in the wilow family (Saliaceae) including Salix, poplars, cottonwoods (Populus)

 

Nectar Plants:  Tree sap, flower nectar

Host Plants:     Aspen and cottonwood (Populus), willows (Salix), ocean spray (Holodiscus), and shadbush (Amelanchier).  

 

 

Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)

Nectar Plants:  sap

Host Plants:      Various hackberries (Celtis species) and sugarberry (Celtis laevigata).

 

Longwings (Heliconiinae)

 

Callippe Fritillary (Speyeria callippe)

Nectar Plants:  none recorded

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola purpurea, V. pedunculata, V. beckwithii, V. douglasii, and V. nuttallii.

 

Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis)

Nectar Plants:  flower nectar

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola nuttallii, V. purpurea, V. douglasii, and V. beckwithii

 

Great Basin Fritillary (Speyeria egleis)

Nectar Plants:  flower nectar

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola adunca, V. nuttallii, V. purpurea, and V. walteri.

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from many species of flowers including milkweeds, thistles, ironweed, dogbane, mountain laurel, verbena, vetch, bergamot, red clover, joe-pye weed, and purple coneflower.
Host Plants:  Various violet species (Viola).

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Nectar Plants:   Nectar from lantana, shepherd\'s needle, cordias, composites, and others.
Host Plants:       Various species of passion-vine including maypops (Passiflora incarnata) and running pop (P. foetida).

Hydaspe Fritillary (Speyeria hydaspe)

Nectar Plants:   flower nectar

Host Plants:      Violets including Viola adunca, V. glabella, V. nuttallii, V. orbiculata, and V. purpurea.

Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of Lantana, Stachytarpheta, and Turnera; occasionally dung.
Host Plants:      Passion-vines (Passiflora), morning glories (Convolvulaceae), and Turnera.

Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from a variety of flowers including goldenrod.
Host Plants:  Violets including Viola adunca, V. nuttallii, V. nephrophylla, and V. palustris.

Nokomis Fritillary (Speyeria nokomis)

Nectar Plants:   Flower nectar, including that from thistles.
Host Plants:      Viola nephrophylla.

Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar including Gaillardia, rabbitbrush, purple mints, and shrub cinquefoil.
Host Plants:     Violets.

Pacific Fritillary (Boloria epithore)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola ocellata, V. sempervirens, and V. glabella.

Unsilvered Fritillary (Speyeria adiaste)

Nectar Plants:  Flower Nectar

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola quercetorum.

Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from several plant species including butterflyweed, common milkweed, dogbane, peppermint, red clover, swamp milkweed, and tickseed sunflower.

Host Plants:  A variety of plants in several families including maypops (Passiflora incarnata), may apple (Podophyllum peltata), violets (Viola), purslane (Portulaca), stonecrop (Sedum), and moonseed (Menispermum).

Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonius)

Nectar Plants:  Favorite plants include lantana and shepherd's needle.
Host Plants:     Passion-vines including Passiflora suberosa, P. lutea, and P. affinis.

Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene)

Nectar Plants:  none recorded

Host Plants:     Violets including Viola adunca, V. lobata, V. cuneata, V. nuttallii, and V. purpurea.

Milkweed Butterflies (Danainae)

 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from all milkweeds. Early in the season before milkweeds bloom, Monarchs visit a variety of flowers including dogbane, lilac, red clover, lantana, and thistles. In the fall adults visit composites including goldenrods, blazing stars, ironweed, and tickseed sunflower.

Host Plants:      Milkweeds including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and showy milkweed (A. speciosa); and milkweed vine in the tropics.

Queen (Danaus gilippus)

Nectar Plants:   Nectar from flowers including milkweeds, fogfruit, and shepherd's needle.
Host Plants:      Milkweeds and milkweed vines.

Snouts (Libytheinae)

 

American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of aster, dogbane, dogwood, goldenrod, sweet pepperbush, and others.
Host Plants:      Several species of hackberry (Celtis).

 

True Brushfoots (Nymphalinae)

 

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar almost exclusively, including dogbane, aster, goldenrod, marigold, selfheal, common milkweed, purple coneflowers, and vetch.

Host Plants:     Plants in the sunflower family everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), wormwood (Artemisia), ironweed (Vernonia), Silver Brocade, and burdock (Arctium).

Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Plants in the sunflower family including sunflowers (Helianthus), ragweed (Ambrosia trifida), crownbeard (Verbesina), and cockleburs (Xanthium).

California Crescent (Phyciodes orseis)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Thistles (Cirsium species) in the sunflower family.

California Patch (Chlosyne californica)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Desert sunflower (Viguiera deltoidea var. parishii) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Various species of wild lilac (Ceanothus).

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Nectar Plants:  Favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, coreopsis, gumweed, knapweed, swamp milkweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited.
Host Plants:     Plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); tall verbena; the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).

Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar of willow flowers.

Host Plants:     Aspen and cottonwood (Populus), willows (Salix), gray birch (Betula populifolia), and paper birch (B. papyrifera).

Dotted Checkerspot (Poladryas minuta)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers including yellow composites.
Host Plants:     Various beardtongues (Penstemon species) in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae).

Edith's Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Various species of paintbrush (Castilleja), beardtongues (Penstemon), lousewort (Pedicularis), owl's clover (Orthocarpus), Chinese houses (Collinsia), and plantain (Plantago).

Field Crescent (Phyciodes pulchellus)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Hosts Plants:   Various asters (Aster and Machaeranthera species).

Gabb's Checkerspot (Chlosyne gabbii)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Hazardia (Haplopappus squarrosus) and beach aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)

Nectar Plants:  Sap; rarely flower nectar.
Host Plants:     Gooseberries (Ribes) and azalea (Rhododendron).

Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Small pussy willow (Salix humilis), black birch (Betula lenta), alder (Alnus), western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), and gooseberry (Ribes).

Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)

Nectar Plants:  Sap and nectar from flowers of sweet everlasting (Gnaphalium) among others.
Host Plants:     Currants and gooseberries (Ribes), western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), and mock azalea (Menziesia glabella).

Hoffmann's Checkerspot (Chlosyne hoffmanni)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Various asters.

Leanira Checkerspot (Thessalia leanira)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Paintbrush (Castilleja species).

Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)

Nectar Plants:  Usually flowers, such as thistles, goldenrods, and lilacs; probably also sap and rotting fruit.
Host Plants:     Nettles (Urtica dioica and U. procera).

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Nectar Plants:  Sap and occasionally flower nectar, overripe fruit, common milkweed

Host Plants:     Willows including black willow (Salix nigra), weeping willow (S. babylonica), and silky willow (S. sericea); also American elm (Ulmus americana), cottonwood (Populus deltoides), aspen (P. tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).

Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Native thistles (Cirsium), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and European thistles (Carduus).

Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Goldenrod (Solidago), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus), and asters.

Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of dogbane, fleabane, and white clover

Host Plants:      Asters, in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Nectar Plants:  The Painted Lady prefers nectar from composites 3-6 feet high, especially thistles; also aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, butterfly bush, and joe-pye weed. Flowers from other families that are visited include red clover, buttonbush, privet, and milkweeds.
Host Plants:     More than 100 host plants have been noted; favorites include thistles (Asteraceae), hollyhock and mallow (Malvaceae), shasta daisy, sunflower, and various legumes (Fabaceae).

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from a great variety of flowers including dogbane, swamp milkweed, shepherd's needle, asters, and winter cress.
Host Plants:      Several species of smooth-leaved true asters including Aster pilosus, A. texanus, and A. laevis.

Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of Lippia and composites including shepherd's needle.
Host Plants:      Fogfruit (Lippia lanceolata) and mat grass (Lippia nodiflora) in the verbena family.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Nectar Plants:  Red Admirals prefer sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit, and bird droppings; visiting flowers only when these are not available. Then they will nectar at common milkweed, red clover, aster, butterfly bush, purple coneflowers and alfalfa, among others.
Host Plants:    Plants of the nettle family (Urticaceae) including stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), tall wild nettle (U. gracilis), wood nettle (Laportea canadensis), false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica), pellitory (Parietoria pennsylvanica), mamaki (Pipturus albidus), and possibly hops (Humulus).

 

Rockslide Checkerspot (Chlosyne whitneyi)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Alpine plants of the sunflower family including Erigeron and Solidago species.

Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:      Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) and aster (Machaeranthera) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus)

Nectar Plants:  Tree sap, rotting fruit, flower nectar including that from blackberry and almond.
Host Plants:     Various nettles (Urticaceae species).

Texan Crescent (Phyciodes texana)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Various low plants of the acanthus family including Ruellia, Jacobina, Beloperone, and Siphonoglossa.

Tiny Checkerspot (Dymasia dymas)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Hairy tubetongue (Siphonoglossa pilosella) in the acanthus family.

Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Besseya, penstemon, and Indian paintbrush (Scrophulariaceae); snowberry and honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae); and plants from several other families including Boraginaceae and Rosaceae.

West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar, aster, yarrow, goldenrod

Host Plants:     Many plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae) including tree mallow (Lavatera), globe mallow (Sphaeralcea), bush mallow (Malvastrum), mallow (Malva), alkali mallow (Sida), checkerbloom (Sidalcea), hollyhock (Althea), and false nettle. 
 

Host Plants:     Bleeding heart family (Fumariaceae) including Dicentra uniflora, D. formosa, and D. pauciflora.

Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of Sedum and Asteraceae family.
Host Plants:      Many species of stonecrop (Sedum) in the Crassulaceae family

Sierra Nevada Parnassian (Parnassius behrii)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers of Sedum and Asteraceae family.
Host Plants:      Nectar from flowers of Sedum and Asteraceae family.

 

Swallowtails (Papilioninae)

 

Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)

Nectar Plants:  Not recorded

Host Plants:    Many species in the parsley family (Apiaceae), and some in the citrus family (Rutaceae).

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.

Host Plants:      Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred.

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.
Host Plants:     Trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), and Common Rue (Ruta graveolens).

Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Aromatic herbs of the parsley family (Apiaceae) growing among rocks.

Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar

Host Plants:     Sagebrushes (Artemisia species), including Arctic wormwood and wild tarragon, rarely plants in the parsley family.

Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)

Nectar Plants:  Flower nectar including California buckeye, yerba santa, and wallflower.
Host Plants:     Trees and shrubs in the Rosaceae, Rhamnaceae and Betulaceae families including cherry (Prunus emarginata), coffee-berry (Rhamnus californica), and ash (Fraxinus spp.).

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Nectar Plants:  Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.
Host Plants:     Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.

Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas)

Nectar Plants:   Nectar of lantana. Occasionally seen feeding on honeysuckle and soapweed flowers.
Host Plants:      Pipevines (Aristolochia species).

Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from thistles, milkweeds, California buckeye, lilac, and many others.
Host Plants:     Leaves of ash (Fraxinus), hop tree (Ptelea), and chokecherry (Prunus).

Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

Nectar Plants:  Nectar from many flowers including thistles, abelia, California buckeye, zinnia, and yerba santa. 
Host Plants:      Leaves of cottonwood and aspen (Populus), willows (Salix), wild cherry (Prunus), and ash (Fraxinus).