Top 10 Butterfly Herbs to Spice up Your Garden

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

A culinary old-timer that’s been around since Spaniards brought seeds to California 200 years ago, fennel is a fast-growing herb that adds delicacy and height to flowerbeds. It reaches up to 3 feet tall and has abundant clusters of tiny, buttery yellow flowers.

The allure: Many butterfly species, including anise and black swallowtails, flock to fennel both for its nectar and to use it as a host plant for their very hungry caterpillars. Songbirds love the seeds, too!

Caraway

Carum carvi

Eat a rye bread sandwich and you’ll see (and taste!) savory caraway seeds. The crescent-shaped seeds are produced by a plant that looks a lot like Queen Anne’s lace, thanks to its clusters of tiny white and pinkish flowers. This biennial reaches 2 feet tall and may not flower until its second year.

The allure: As a host plant, caraway herbs are fantastic for black swallowtail butterfly eggs, while yellow-green sulphurs and metalmark butterflies stop by to snack on its nectar.

Backyard tip: Scatter the seeds in a sunny spot in early spring, cover lightly with soil and keep moist until they sprout. If you decide to try planting seeds from the kitchen, sow thickly to make up for any potential duds and increase the odds of success.

Nigella

Nigella sativa

Blue blossoms backed by a ruff of fine leaves make this flower look extraterrestrial, and butterflies can’t get enough of it. Shake the oversize pods to harvest abundant black seeds for use in Indian or South Asian dishes.

The allure: Butterflies of all shapes and sizes, including sulphurs, whites, fritillaries and coppers, are attracted to nigella.

Backyard tip: As an experiment, try growing herb plants straight from your spice rack! Use organic whole seed, rather than ground or powdered spices. Their ability to sprout will also depend on how they’ve been stored and processed.

Cumin

Cuminum cyminum

With delicate white bloom bursts, cumin looks like a smaller, daintier cousin of Queen Anne’s lace. The ridged seeds grow into branching annuals that stand 18 inches tall. Soak seeds overnight before planting for faster germination.

The allure: Blues, hairstreaks, sulphurs and many other small to medium-size butterfly species love to land on the herb flowers.

Sesame

Sesamum indicum

Humans have been using sesame seeds for more than 4,000 years, making it the oldest known oil crop. This robust and drought-tolerant plant has tubular flowers that resemble foxglove blossoms and dangle from leafy stems that can reach up to 3 feet. It thrives best in areas with long, hot summers.

The allure: Sesame flowers can self-pollinate, but they still produce sweet nectar to tempt wandering pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Monarchs and fritillaries visit, as do sphinx moths and hummingbirds. Honeybees also love sesame’s tempting blooms.

Anise

Pimpinella anisum

Blanketed in snowy white clusters, anise is a tall annual that reaches 3 feet high. The feathery plants are an airy presence in the garden, and their star-shaped seeds have a licorice-like taste and aroma.

The allure: Swallowtails of every sort, such as two-tailed and pipevine, can’t get enough of its light and delicate flower clusters. It’s also a host plant for black swallowtail and anise swallowtail.

Chia

Salvia hispanica

If you loved your chia pet, grow one in the garden. Chia seeds come from salvia, a plant native to Mexico. Enjoy sky blue flowers as well as the nutritional benefits of these ancient seeds, which are great in smoothies. Plant seeds outside in fall in Zones 9 to 11. In colder regions, start them in pots indoors in late winter.

The appeal: Monarchs, painted ladies and red admirals adore this oh-so lovely butterfly herb.

Dill

Anethum graveolens

This annual adds appealing contrasts of color and texture to flowerbeds thanks to feathery fronds and bright yellow flowers. And dill seeds give the popular pickles their tasty zing.

The allure: Dill is an herb that belongs in every butterfly garden. Not only is dill irresistible to anglewings, tortoiseshells and sulphurs, but it’s also a favorite host plant of black swallowtails.

Caterpillar care: The foliage of dill, anise, fennel and other members of the carrot family is a popular place for swallowtails to lay eggs because the leaves are nourishing for ravenous caterpillars.

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Mustard Seed

Sinapsis alba

Mustard seeds are quick to grow into vigorous, long-blooming butterfly herbs that stand 2 feet tall. Prolific stems topped with saffron-yellow flowers hold a passing butterfly’s attention for many minutes—long enough for you to grab your camera and snap a photo.

The allure: Every nectar-sipping butterfly in the area, from the tiniest of blues to big swallowtails and monarchs, enjoys this buttery yellow annual. It’s also a host plant for cabbage white and checkered white species.

After you finish reading about butterfly herbs, check out the best types of milkweed to grow for monarchs.

Coriander

Coriandrum sativum

This beloved favorite has a split personality. Its round seeds are common in Indian cuisine, but its fresh leaves are what we know as cilantro. Clusters of delicate white, pinkish or pale lavender flowers top these 2-foot annuals. From New England to Montana, naturalized coriander grows across the United States.

The allure: Small to medium-sized butterflies flutter to these herbs, like hairstreaks, sulphurs, metalmarks and blues.