Peppergrass: Weed or Host Plant?

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Some say weed, I say host plant!

Some of the earliest spring butterflies are members of a butterfly family Pieridae and are commonly known known as the Whites and Sulphurs. The Whites: namely the Cabbage White, Checkered White and Great Florida White can often be seen on roadsides and medians throughout Florida, especially in the early spring. These species host on greens in the mustard family like cabbages, mustard greens and collard greens. (Try picking up a few of these greens not for food but for the butterflies. )

Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum) or Poor Man’s Pepper is a host plant for these delicate beauties that you may already have growing in your yard. Besides feeding butterflies, you can also add the young leaves to salads and the seed pods can be used as a substitute for black pepper. It may not be the most attractive of garden plants, and it may be a brown skeleton by mid-summer but in the Spring peppergrass has some great butterfly uses.

If you have a fenced yard that your neighbors won’t complain about, consider letting a small patch of peppergrass go wild by mowing around it. It is amazing how many butterflies are drawn to common weeds.