Host plants are special kinds of plants that butterflies lay their eggs on and caterpillars eat. Species like the monarchs only have one type of host plant, the milkweed, other species like cabbage whites use many species as their host plants. The pages below will include the host plants of many of the prominent butterflies at the butterfly station. However, there are other butterflies that host on other plants that are not mentioned below.
The host plants used at the Butterfly Station are all plants native to the Pine Bush area. Many of these plants are abundant in the wild. We purchase our plants from local garden centers and we recommend that you do the same if you are considering starting a butterfly garden.