Jeanne grows several herbs as larval food sources for the beautiful Eastern black swallowtail. The adult female butterfly lays her eggs on fennel, parsley, dill, rue, caraway and angelica. Adult butterflies like the nectar of parsley and fennel flowers. By late afternoon, the hummingbird moths are out in full force, she says. Slowly moving from flower to flower, they are easily mistaken for hummingbirds, which they resemble in size and shape.
Garlic chives attract many butterflies.
Swamp milkweed with Monarch caterpillar. Trees in her habitat include sassafras, pawpaw, glory bower tree and various fruit trees. Perennial beds bloom with nectar sources, including verbena, purple coneflower, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan and phlox. One of her favorite butterfly nectar plants is lantana, especially Miss Huff's Hardy variety. Jeanne Pettersen is co-owner of Plants With a Purpose, which specializes in gardening booklets and in propagating and selling herbs and plants to attract butterflies, birds and wildlife.