Zinnias can be grown in flower beds, borders, and containers. They also make excellent cut flowers. Zinnias generally take 75 to 90 days to bloom from seed, so planting in late-May will produce blooms in August. Zinnias love heat but are susceptible to powdery mildew. Plant disease-resistant varieties in the Northeast and other humid areas.
Most butterflies feed on flowers and are attracted to gardens with bright colors and vivid contrast.
You will need to provide nectar sources for the adult butterfly and food plants for the caterpillars. Last spring, my tulip flowers were being chewed off. The flowers were not eaten and I suspected that some animal was after the moisture in the stems. I pressed a shallow plastic bowl of water into the ground near my tulip bed and kept the water fresh. My tulips were no longer attacked.