Quick answer: 106 butterfly and moth host plants are native to West Virginia, 90 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
106 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Balsam poplar Populus balsamifera · 8 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 willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 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 snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 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
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 19 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Groundnut Apios americana · 21 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 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
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 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
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 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
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 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 hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 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
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Butterfly and moth host plants in West Virginia: what to know
106 of the 297 plants native to West Virginia 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 May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 106 are also good for pollinators, 80 are also good for birds, 61 are also shade-tolerant.
84 of them grow in full or partial sun and 61 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, 106 support pollinators, 80 provide food or cover for birds and 106 are caterpillar host plants.
90 of the 106 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Black-eyed Susan, Hobblebush: 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