Tasty Trees for Butterflies

Inspired by Florida Arbor Day, here is a listing of some great Florida trees that double as host plants for butterfly larvae:

• Citrus, most species: Giant Swallowtail larvae
• Wild Lime: Giant Swallowtail larvae (pictured)
• Hercules Club: Giant Swallowtail larvae
• Silk Bay: Tiger Swallowtail larvae
• Yellow Poplar: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• Swamp Bay: Palamedes Swallowtails
• Tulip Tree: Tiger Swallowtail larvae
• Spicebush (shrub): Spicebush Swallowtail larvae
• Camphor: Spicebush Swallowtail larvae
• Red Bay: Spicebush Swallowtail, Palamedes Swallowtail
• Gumbo Limbo: Dingy Purplewing
• Locustberry: Florida Duskywing
• Bay Cedar: Mallow Scrub-Hairstreaks, Martial Scrub Hairstreaks
• Strangler Fig: Ruddy Daggerwing
• Wild Banyan Tree: Ruddy Daggerwing
• Desert Cassia: Senna polyphylla: Sulphurs
• Cassias: Sulphurs
• Yellowwood: Zanthoxylum falvum: Giant Swallowtail
• Southern red cedar: Sweadner’s Juniper Hairstreak
• Dogwood: Spring Azure
• Elms: Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak, Question Mark
• Hackberry: Hackberry Emperor, Mouring Cloak, Question Mark, Snout, Tawny Emperor
• Dahoon holly: Henry’s Elfin, Striped Hairstreak
• Cherry: Red spotted purple
• Mangroves: Mangrove skippers
• Mallows: American Painted Lady, Grey Hairstreak, Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak
• Mulberries: Red Admirals
• Ashes: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
• Oaks: Banded Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, Red-Banded Hairstreak, Red Spotted Purple, Southern Hairstreak, Striped Hairstreak, White M Hairstreak, King’s Hairstreak (nectar)
• Willow: Mourning Cloaks, Seminiole Texas Cresent, Striped Hairstreak, Viceroy