Quick answer: 69 butterfly and moth host plants are native to Connecticut, 55 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
69 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- Bear oak Quercus ilicifolia · 13 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Bigtooth aspen Populus grandidentata · 20 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bog Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum · 11 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Creeping snowberry Gaultheria hispidula · 12 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis · 25 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern bayberry Morella pensylvanica · 2 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica · 20 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pitch pine Pinus rigida · 12 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
Butterfly and moth host plants in Connecticut: what to know
69 of the 187 plants native to Connecticut in this directory fit this need: 37% of the state's list, well above the 23% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in April. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 69 are also good for pollinators, 55 are also good for birds, 43 are also shade-tolerant.
54 of them grow in full or partial sun and 43 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as American elm and American holly. For wildlife, 69 support pollinators, 55 provide food or cover for birds and 69 are caterpillar host plants.
55 of the 69 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Hobblebush, Mountain laurel: common listings for these 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
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr