Quick answer: 11 butterfly and moth host plants are native to Washington, 10 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
11 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bog Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum · 11 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 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 Washington: what to know
11 of the 78 plants native to Washington in this directory fit this need: 14% of the state's list, well below the 23% share across all species.
Between them they flower from March through October, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 11 are also good for pollinators, 9 are also good for birds, 7 are also shade-tolerant.
10 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Pearly everlasting to trees such as Bearberry and Chokecherry. For wildlife, 11 support pollinators, 9 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
10 of the 11 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild 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