Quick answer: 15 butterfly and moth host plants are native to California, 15 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
15 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia · 1 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
Butterfly and moth host plants in California: what to know
15 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 11% of the state's list, well below the 23% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through October, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 15 are also good for pollinators, 11 are also good for birds, 11 are also drought-tolerant.
14 of them grow in full or partial sun and 6 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Pearly everlasting to trees such as Bearberry and Chokecherry. For wildlife, 15 support pollinators, 11 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
All 15 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan: common listings for it are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun