Fall Butterfly Plants for Florida

It's that time of year when everyone in Florida is starting to anxiously watch the long-range forecast. Will this be the week when temperatures finally drop? When can we open our windows again? How much longer until we can go from the house to the car without becoming drenched in sweat? Is it finally nice enough outside to work in my garden without getting heatstroke?

Gulf Fritillary enjoying Tampa Vervain (Glandularia tampensis)

When the answer to that last question is "Yes, yes it is!" it's a good time to start getting your butterfly garden ready for fall. Chances are good it's been neglected over the summer, with weeds taking over (although a lot of those weeds are great for butterflies - click here for more). Now that you're ready to roll up your sleeves and get those gardens back in shape, what are the best butterfly plants to add for the fall and winter months?

Orange-Barred Sulphur on Million Bells

Many butterfly favorites are good year-round, including pentas, lantana, milkweed, and salvia. But a few plants are especially good for fall and winter, because they perform better in cooler weather or need shorter days to flower. Try these butterfly plants in your garden this fall, and attract butterflies in Central Florida throughout the months ahead.

• Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha)
• Carolina Climbing Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus)
• Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)
• Winter Cassia (Cassia bicapsularis)
• Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)
• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
• Tampa Verbena (Glandularia tampensis)
• Petunia (Petunia x hybrida)
• Million Bells (Calibrachoa)
• Pansy (Viola spp.)