American Lady Butterfly Seeking Native Host Plants

American Lady Butterfly ~ Vanessa virginiensis


Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Adding butterfly host plants to your landscape sometimes doesn't yield instant outcomes. But this week, planning and patience paid off.

A very tattered American Lady butterfly was flying around the yard checking out the plants in our prairie area. Migrating from the south she arrived on last legs ready to start the next generation.

She found two host plants, Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) and Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and laid several eggs on each.

I'll be watching for signs of the spiny caterpillars who weave themselves into a feeding cocoon by tying up the host plant foliage around them. They will make several of these webbed feeding stations on each plant.

Read an earlier post about the host plant Pearly Everlasting.

Also an earlier post about the host plant Field Pussytoes.

Native Plant of the Week: Field Pussytoes ~ Antennaria neglecta

Field Pussytoes ~ Antennaria neglecta


Field Pussytoes is a common native in the midwest and Great Lakes region. Found growing in lawns, roadsides and prairies in dry, well drained soils.

This is an under appreciated native, it could be utilized more on the edges of perennial plantings as it spreads by stolons and forms a nice mat. It also tolerates compacted soils.

The flower stalks arise from the gray, hairy basal leaves in April. If you have a sunny, dry and sandy site in your landscape give this native a try.

The flowerheads resemble cat's paws (Pussy Toes) and are comprised of densely packed white bracts.

Field Pussytoes is another larval host plant for the American Lady butterfly. Look for leaves that have been rolled together. Caterpillars will feed inside this shelter.

Field Pussytoes is native to central and eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Native Plant of the Week: Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea

Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea


Pearly Everlasting is named for its flower heads that persist after it flowers. The individual flowers are whorls of bracts that when dried are used in dry flower arrangements.

This perennial native is common in sunny, dry sites in sandy or well drained soils. It is very attractive with the white colored flowers arising up to 3 feet in height above the fuzzy, gray colored leaves.

Flowers open in early July and persist into September. This is a common plant in Upper Michigan growing on exposed or disturbed roadsides.

If you have a sunny, dry, well drained spot in your landscape, Pearly Everlasting is a good candidate.

Another great reason to plant this native is because it's one of several larval host plants of the American Lady butterfly.

The caterpillars will enclose themselves in the leaves forming shelters as they feed on the leaves.

Pearly Everlasting is common in the west as well as in the northern Great Lakes area. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

American Lady Butterfly & Native Foodplants

American Lady Butterfly ~ Vanessa virginiensis

This colorful orange butterfly is fairly common in our area. You will usually spot this butterfly nectaring from mid May to late July in central Minnesota.

It's easy to distinguish this butterfly from its close looking relative the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). The American Lady has two large eye spots on the exterior hind wings whereas the Painted Lady has four smaller ones. (Butterflies through Binoculars)

This butterfly like most others will seek out tubular flowers for nectaring. In our yard, it especially likes Phlox and Monarda species.

Habitat & Lifecycle: Open sunny areas, fields, prairies, easements and roadsides. This butterfly does not overwinter in our area, it

migrates north early in the spring arriving here in May. (Butterflies through Binoculars)  

Caterpillars emerge in mid June. They can vary in coloration but will have a row of white spots down their sides. They also have sharp spines along their backs (except for their heads) and abdomen. 

"The larvae will tie up several leaves and feed within this shelter. A single larvae will make a number of shelters, especially on plants with small leaves." (Caterpillars of Eastern North America)

MAJOR NATIVE FOODPLANTS FOR THE AMERICAN LADY BUTTERFLY

The major native foodplants are Anaphalis, Antennaria and Gnaphalium (Pseudognaphalium) species. 

Anaphalis margaritacea ~ Pearly Everlasting
This native perennial is common on sandy soils in open sunny locations along the edges of woodlands.

The leaves are gray green in color and fuzzy beneath. The flowers are a a cluster of white "petal-like bracts, around a button-like yellowish disk". (Wildflowers of Wisconsin)

This plant is used for dried flower arrangements because the bracts hold their color and shape.

Antennaria neglecta ~ Field Pussytoes
A prairie native, field pussytoes spreads by stolons forming a dense mat in rich soils without competition. If there's competition from prairie grasses and forbs, it will spread amongst these plants. The leaves are also a gray green in color with white hairs. The white flowers appear early in the spring in late April to early May.

Field Pussytoes also likes well drained soil, it does well in sandy soils and can therefore sometimes be found in disturbed sites. It also can spread into lawns.

There are several other midwest Antennaria species including A. howellii, A. plantaginifolia, and A. parlinii.