Quick answer: 56 butterfly and moth host plants are native to Iowa, 53 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
56 species
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 29 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 25 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 14 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 32 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 42 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 15 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 11 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 24 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 37 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 18 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 8 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 35 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 4 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 15 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 7 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 14 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 28 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 14 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 12 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 8 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 23 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 8 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 19 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 16 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 23 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 31 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 24 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 25 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 16 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 13 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 18 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 7 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 9 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 24 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 30 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 22 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 22 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 21 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 25 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 34 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 25 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 24 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 27 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 8 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 31 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 10 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 8 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 3 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 6 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 7 states