Black swallowtail caterpillar
This list of larval host plants for common Virginia butterfly species was compiled by Bob Glennon and David Bryan, NRCS Private Lands Biologists, and Celia Vuocolo, PEC’s Habitat and Stewardship Specialist.
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| Butterfly Species | Larval Host Plant Species |
|---|---|
| American Lady | Pussy toes, New York Ironweed, Burdock |
| American Snout Butterfly | Hackberry |
| Baltimore Checkerspot | Turtlehead, False Foxglove, Hairy Beardtongue, Wrinkle Leaf Goldenrod |
| Black Swallowtail | Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Carrot, Rattlesnake Master, Golden Alexander |
| Cabbage White | Many Plants in Mustard Family, Cabbage Family including Broccoli |
| Checkered Skipper | Mallow, Hollyhock, Velvetleaf |
| Checkered White | Many Plants in Mustard Family, Cabbage Family |
| Clouded Sulfur | Alfalfa, White Clover, Peas, Baptisia |
| Cloudless Sulfur | Ornamental Cassia, Partridge Pea, Wild Senna |
| Common Buckeye | Plantains, Gerardias, Toadflax, Snapdragons, False Loosestrifes, Beardtongue, Spiderwort, Blue Vervain, Wild Petunia |
| Common Hairstreak | Peas, Mallow Family, Beans, Clovers, Cotton |
| Dogface Butterfly | Peas, Alfalfa, Indigo, False Indigo, Prairie Clover |
| Eastern Pine Elfin | Eastern Red Cedar, Shortleaf Pine |
| Eastern‐tailed Blue | Baptisia, Roundhead Lespedeza, Ticktrefoils, Vetches, Clovers |
| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Ash, Willow, Hickory, Serviceberry, Tulip Poplar, Birch, Cherry |
| Gorgone Checkerspot | Sunflowers |
| Great Spangled Fritillary | Violets |
| Hackberry Emperor | Hackberry, Sugarberry |
| Henry’s Elfin | American Holly, Huckleberry, Highbush Blueberry, Eastern Redbud, Winterberry, Viburnum |
| Luna Moth | White Birch, Persimmon, Walnut, Hickory, Sumac, Sweetgum |
| Meadow Fritillary | Violets |
| Monarch | Milkweeds |
| Mourning Cloak | Willow, Aspen, Cottonwood, Elm, Birch, Hackberry |
| Orange Sulfur | Alfalfa, Vetch, Peas, Clover, Wild Senna, Partridge Pea, Baptisia |
| Painted Lady | Thistle, Hollyhock, Sunflower, Joe‐Pye Weed, Rose Mallow, Ironweed |
| Pearl Crescent | Asters |
| Question Mark | Nettle, Elm, Hackberry, Hops, False Nettle |
| Red Admiral | Nettle, False Nettle, Pellitory |
| Red Spotted Purple | Wild Cherry, Aspen, Poplar, Cottonwood, Oaks, Hawthorn, Birch, Willows |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | False Indigo, Wild Licorice, Locust, Bluestem Grasses, American Wisteria, Panicum spp, Ticktrefoils |
| Silvery Checkerspot | Wingstem, Sunflower, Aster, Purple Coneflower, Black‐eyed Susan |
| Spicebush Swallowtail | Spicebush, Sassafras |
| Spring Azure | Columbine, New Jersey Tea, Dogwood, Witchhazel, Black Cherry, Vibernum, Black Cohosh, Sumac, Meadow Sweet |
| Variegated Fritillary | May Apple, Violets, Passionflower |
| Viceroy Butterfly | Willow, Poplar, Cottonwood, Black cherry, Chokecherry |
| Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth | Virginia Creeper, Vibernum, Wild Grape |
| Wood Nymph | Purpletop, Bluestem Grasses |
| Zebra Swallowtail | Pawpaw |