12 Plants That Will Attract Monarch Butterflies to Your Yard

While just about any flower could help attract pollinators like bees, birds, and butterflies into your yard, there are certain garden plants that are especially beloved by monarch butterflies. So if you want to lay out a sweet little smorgasbord of flowers for butterflies to feast upon, you’ll want to include these plants in your garden beds.

Try these tips to set your garden up as a butterfly’s paradise—then choose some of these particularly magnetic blooms that are guaranteed to enchant the monarchs.

Tips for Planting the Perfect Monarch Butterfly Garden

Include the right milkweed for your area

If you’re planning a monarch-friendly garden, milkweed (aka, asclepias) is a must-have. That’s the sole diet for monarch caterpillars—and it’s where many butterflies lay their eggs. “The important thing when picking an asclepias is to get the right species for your area and the conditions it is being grown in,” says Megan McConnell, horticulturist and plant information director at Monrovia.

Here’s a quick guide:

• Asclepias incarnate: Native to most of the U.S. except the West Coast; likes boggy conditions. Try Cinderella and Soulmate varieties.
• Asclepias turberosa: Native to most of the U.S. except the northwest; a prairie plant that takes drier conditions and lean soils.
• Asclepias speciosa: Native to the West; can take dry or moist conditions.
• Asclepias fascicularis: Native to dry climates in the West.
• Asclepias linaria: Native to the desert Southwest; Monarch Magnet variety is attractive.

Look for butterfly-friendly flower shapes

Short, tubular flowers are a particular favorite of butterflies, as are daisy-shaped flowers like sunflowers. (Fun fact: Daisy-shaped flowers—coneflower, aster, sunflower, black-eyed Susan—are actually not just one flower, McConnell says. The center is a cluster of many small flowers.)

Choose flowers with bright colors and fragrance

Bright colors—especially hues like red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple—tend to attract butterflies best, along with strong fragrances.

Make sure you have a steady set of blooms

Make sure that your landscape offers flowers in all seasons to keep the monarch butterflies coming back. “It’s important to have continuous flowering throughout the growing season,” McConnell says. “Newly emerging butterflies need spring flowers, but mid to late season is when they are most active. Autumn nectar is important to help butterflies build up their energy reserve for overwintering.”

Choose a sunny spot

You’ll note that most of these picks below are full-sun flowers, so make sure your butterfly garden gets at least six hours of sunlight for maximum blooms—and maximum butterflies.