7 Seeds to Plant Now to Fuel Fall Butterflies
Fall is a vital time for butterflies as they prepare to migrate and hibernate. Pollinator enthusiast Melissa Strauss discusses ways to support them during this vital time and what plants you can choose to provide them with the necessary nutrients.
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During the fall months, butterflies (like many other animals) prepare for the cold months ahead. Butterflies don’t hibernate in the traditional sense. However, many of them enter a state of dormancy, while others, such as monarchs, migrate to warmer environments.
Some species, such as the mourning cloak, overwinter in a state similar to hibernation, known as diapause. They hide out in sheltered places where their metabolism slows until spring. Others, like swallowtails, reproduce in the fall and overwinter as chrysalises. They remain in their protective cases until the conditions are right for hatching.
The great spangled fritillary spends winter in the larval state. These caterpillars stay hidden in piles of leaf litter and mulch. Monarchs are notorious for their great migration to Mexico and Southern California. Here they cluster together in a tree and keep each other warm until spring.
One thing they have in common is that they need to prepare for this time. They all feed voraciously in the fall, so fall-blooming flowers are vital to their survival. There are some beautiful, fast-growing flowers that you can grow from seeds in late summer to help support them.
I would love to share some of these with you so that you can take part in supporting your local butterflies. Choose one of these seeds to support your fall butterflies.
Zinnia
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botanical name Zinnia elegans |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 1’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Zinnias are a great seed to sow in late summer. They are incredibly heat-tolerant and fast-growing.
Most varieties will mature and begin to bloom about two months after planting. While the zinnias you planted in the spring may be wearing out, there’s still time to plant more seeds for fall butterflies.
Zinnias are a powerful source of nectar. I see butterflies on mine every day, along with tons of native bees and wasps. Their flat, daisylike blooms make an east landing pad, and they bloom continuously until frost. Butterflies love their bright, bold colors.
Cosmos
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botanical name Cosmos bipinnatus |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 1’-6’ |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Cosmos are outstanding nectar flowers for butterflies. They’re also a great addition to the fall pollinator garden.
Cosmos takes two to three months to go from seed to bloom. Once blooming, they continue to flower until frost. These lovely annuals feature feathery foliage that adds a beautiful texture to the garden.
In addition to their bright, appealing flowers and rich supply of nectar, the flowers are also shaped ideally. The open, flat, daisy-like blooms are a perfect landing pad. C. bipinnatus is a great species for this purpose, and C. sulphureus is as well. The flowers are short-lived, but abundant.
Sunflower
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botanical name Helianthus annuus |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height Up to 15+ |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
If you’ve ever sat and observed a sunflower patch, you know how incredibly valuable they are to pollinators. Native bees and wasps flock to them, and they are excellent seeds to plant for fall butterflies. They grow easily from seed and are stronger if directly sown in the garden.
Sunflowers have large, flat flower heads that are a perfect landing pad for pollinators. Some even serve as host plants for painted lady, bordered patch, and checkerspot butterflies.
They take about 80 days to begin blooming, so the sooner you plant these seeds, the better. Branching varieties are particularly beneficial as they continue to produce flowers for an extended period.
Calendula
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botanical name Calendula officinalis |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 10”-24” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Calendula is a modest food source for butterflies and is particularly supportive of smaller species. Skippers and whites are fond of them. The open, daisy-like flowers provide a good landing pad, making it easy for them to feed.
The growth and blooming habit of these seeds for fall butterflies is what makes them ideal. They take only six to eight weeks from seed to flower time, and they prefer the cool fall air.
Wait to plant these until the weather cools off a bit, as they will take a long time to germinate otherwise. The seeds are large, and you can direct sow them for more vigorous plants.
Borage
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botanical name Borago officinalis |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 2’-3’ |
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hardiness zones 3-10 |
Borage is exceptionally popular with bees for its blue, star-shaped flowers. It’s not at the top of the list for butterflies because of its popularity with bees, but it is beneficial. It’s also a fast bloomer, flowering in about 50-70 days from the time you sow the seeds.
Borage produces a lot of flowers, and the flowers are a great source of nectar. The flowers have an open structure, which makes them easy to access.
Once established, borage naturalizes easily, so it will likely return the next year. While not considered invasive, it can be aggressive in some places.
French Marigold
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botanical name Tagetes patula |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 6”-12” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
French marigolds are another plant that I wouldn’t put at the top of the list, but they grow and flower quickly from seeds. They are great seeds for fall butterflies because they are tolerant of summer heat when it comes to germination. They are a modest source of nectar and popular among smaller species of butterflies.
African marigolds are a better food source, but take longer to flower. French marigolds are smaller and take only 50-60 days to begin flowering from seeds. Their bright colors attract butterflies. Open-flowered varieties are best, as their nectar is more accessible, and they provide a smoother landing pad.
Annual Phlox
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botanical name Phlox drummondii |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 6”-12” |
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hardiness zones 2-11 |
Annual phlox is a good nectar source for butterflies and is excellent for fall planting. This low-growing flower takes eight to ten weeks to go from seed to flower. Their dense clusters of nectar-rich flowers attract skippers, swallowtails, painted ladies, and sulphurs.
The tubular flowers are easily accessible to butterflies with long proboscises. They come in bright shades of pink, purple, and red that appeal to butterfly vision. They also bloom for a long time, providing a good food source right up until the first frost.
Environmental Support
Along with these seeds for fall butterflies, there are a few other actions you can take to help butterflies. One of the significant actions you can take, or instead, not take, is to leave host plants alone. There are many plants we cut back in the fall, but some are vitally important.
If you know the host plants in your yard that are native to your region, leave them standing. Milkweed is an important one; nettles, thistles, dill, parsley, and passion vine are also larval host plants. If you know your local butterflies, it’s not hard to find out what they feed on.
Avoid fall cleanup. I know it’s hard to leave things messy, and you don’t have to avoid everything. But there are some key things to remember. Many species hide out in leaf litter, brush piles, and hollow stalks. Leave these as long as you can, even in spring.
Avoid using chemicals in the garden whenever possible. This is most important for flowering plants. You can also leave shallow dishes of water for them.
