Who doesn’t want more butterflies in their yard?!? However, so many folks worry about feeding adult butterflies, that they forget that caterpillars need to eat too! With this in mind, here is a list of larval host trees and shrubs, along with the butterfly species that they attract. Planting these species in your yard will surely bring more butterfly parents to your yard.
One last thing; don’t worry, none of these species will eat your whole tree or shrub.
Amelanchier spp. – Serviceberry
- Bruce Spanworm
- Blindy Sphinx (small)
- Striped Hairstreak
- Amorpha canescens
- Black-spotted Prominent
- Dog Face
- Asimina triloba
- Zebra Swallowtail
Betula spp. – Birch
- Compton Tortoiseshell
- Dreump Duskywing
- Mourning Cloak
- Tiger Swallowtail
- White-marked Tussock Moth
Carya spp. – Hickory
- Hickory Hairstreak
- Hickory Horn D.
- Luna Moth
- Skipper spp.
Catalpa
- Catalpa Sphinx
- Ceanothus americanus
- Filamont Beaver
- Spring/Summer Azure
Celtis spp. – Hackberry
- American Snout
- Io Moth
- Question Mark
- Mourning Cloak
- Spiny Oak Slug
- Tawny Emperor
- Comptonia
- Gray Hairstreak
Cornus spp. – Dogwood
- Monkey Slug
- Dogwood Thyativid
- Polyphemus Moth
- Spring/Summer Azure
- Unicorn Caterpillar
Corylus spp. – Filbert
- Polyphemus Moth
- Saddled Prominent
Crataegus spp. – Hawthorn
- Interruped Dagger Moth
- Small Eyed Sphinx
- Smeared Dagger Moth
- Striped Hairstreak
- Fraxinus spp.
- American Dagger Moth
- Black Auches
- Giant Leopard Moth
- Harvis Three-Spot
- Hickory Horned Devil
- Linden Looper
- Spiny Oak Slug
- Tiger Swallowtail
- Lindera benzoin
- Giant Leopard Moth
- Promethea Moth
- Spicebush Swallowtail
Populus spp. – Poplar
- Compton Tortoiseshell
- Red-spotted Purple
- Twin Spotted Sphinx
- Satin Moth
- Sigmoid Prominent
- Viceroy
- Virgin Moth
Prunus spp. – Cherry
- Cherry Dagger Moth
- Coral Hairstreak
- Striped Hairstreak
- Viceroy
- Wild Cherry Sphinx
Prunus serotina – Black Cherry
- Tiger Swallowtail
- Red-spotted Purple
Ptelea trifoliata – Common hoptree
- Giant Swallowtail
- Quercus spp.
- Striped Hairstreak
- Edward’s Hairstreak
- Banded Hairstreak
Rhus spp. – Sumac
- Spring/Summer Azure
Ribes spp. – Currant
- Gray Comma
- Rubus spp.
- Sphinx Hairstreak
Salix spp. – Willow
- Acadian Hairstreak
- Compton Tortoiseshell
- Mourning Cloak
- Northern Finned Prominent
- Red-spotted Purple
- Striped Hairstreak
- Viceroy
- Sassafras albidum
- Cecropia Moth
- Imperial Moth
- Io Moth
- Spicebush Swallowtail
- Smilax
- Spotted Phosphila
- Turbulent
Spiraea spp. – Spirea
- Woolly Bear
Tilia spp. – Basswood
- Question Mark
Viburnum spp.
- Hummingbird Cloverwing
- Vitis spp.
- Grapeleaf Skeletoniter
- Xanthoxylum spp.
- Giant Swallowtail
- Skipper spp.
Who doesn’t want more butterflies in their yard?!? However, so many folks worry about feeding adult butterflies, that they forget that caterpillars need to eat too! Planting species that feed caterpillars in your yard will surely bring more butterfly parents to your yard. 
By planting trees that the butterfly larvae feed on, butterflies will come to lay their eggs on those trees. Planting these species in your yard will surely bring more butterfly parents to your yard. 
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I do love to see butterflies in my garden, but can’t say I like the big fat caterpillars too much! 😀
We get some Massive ones here – like the Hawk moth caterpillar.
I get hawk moths too! Size of little birds. They are so cool.
One I’ve not seen lately is a Hyalophora cecropia
They are my biggest moth.
Gosh – wingspan of 5 – 7 inches!! The biggest I’ve seen in my garden are the Swallowtail butterflies at about 4 inches.
Mothra!!!! =-D
haha 😀 😀