How2Day: Larval Host Plants for Butterflies in South Carolina

Spicebush attracts the larva of the eastern tiger swallowtail. Peter Starman/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Butterflies use larval host plants on which to lay their eggs, and the plants then provide food for the butterfly larvae, or caterpillars. Different species of butterflies prefer different types of host plants, many of which are native to South Carolina. It is a good idea to have a wide range of larval host plants in your garden to attract a variety of butterflies.

Carolina cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana) grows to a height of 20 to 40 feet, and blooms with white flowers in the early spring. Forming on 2- to 3-inch racemes (or "spikes"), the flowers are approximately 3/16 inch wide, fragrant and very showy. Carolina cherry laurel is a host plant in South Carolina to the larva of Eastern tiger swallowtail and red-spotted purple. A versatile evergreen, Carolina cherry laurel does best in full sun to light shade.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a tree native to the eastern regions of the United States. It serves as a larval host plant for the butterfly species spring azure. Preferring partial shade, flowering dogwood thrives in hardwood and pine forests. It is one of the most popular ornamental trees in eastern North America, according to Floridata. Growing to a height of up to 30 feet, flowering dogwood blooms with showy 1- to 2-inch long white or pink bracts in the spring, which surround a cluster of tiny yellow flowers.

Smallflower pawpaw (Asimina parviflora), sometimes referred to as "dwarf pawpaw," is a host plant of the larva of zebra swallowtail. Blooming with small, brownish-purple, six-petaled flowers in the spring, the 6- to 8-foot shrub grows best in partial shade in fertile, loose soil. It is often found as an understory shrub in coastal plain pine forests.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a deciduous shrub found in moist woodlands and marshes. Growing to a height of 6 to 12 feet, it has glossy 6-inch long leaves and blooms with clusters of small, pale yellow flowers in the early spring. Often found as an understory plant in forests, it is a host to the larva of spicebush swallowtail and the eastern tiger swallowtail.

How2Day