Quick answer: 89 butterfly and moth host plants are native to Texas, 78 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
89 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Antelope-horns milkweed Asclepias asperula · 2 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 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 willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cenizo sage Leucophyllum frutescens · 2 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican buckeye Ungnadia speciosa · 2 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides · 4 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Texas ebony Ebenopsis ebano · 1 states
- Texas persimmon Diospyros texana · 1 states
- Texas sacahuista Nolina texana · 1 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Twistleaf yucca Yucca rupicola · 1 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Butterfly and moth host plants in Texas: what to know
89 of the 249 plants native to Texas in this directory fit this need: 36% 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: 89 are also good for pollinators, 70 are also good for birds, 63 are also drought-tolerant.
73 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 Antelope-horns milkweed and Birdfoot violet to trees such as American elm and American holly. For wildlife, 89 support pollinators, 70 provide food or cover for birds and 89 are caterpillar host plants.
78 of the 89 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Black-eyed Susan, Indiangrass: 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