Butterfly Plants  (Courtesy of Paradise Jewelry) Nectar Plants and Host Plants are the two kinds of Butterfly Plants.  Nectar plants produce nectar, or food for adult butterflies.  Host Plants, or Caterpillar Plants, serve as food for the caterpillars.  Butterflies lay their eggs on Host Plants, the caterpillars eat them down, and they grow back up.  Each species has very specific plants that they can use and their caterpillars will starve to death if they are on the wrong plants. Here are pictures of the plants in my yard.  Please bear with me here.  I don't always have the names quite right, and the pictures aren't very good so far.  I will improve, honest!  
FREE Milkweed Seeds       Paradise Jewelry Home Page
                                             Live Butterflies for Special Events!

Butterflies
Monarch Metamorphosis
Julia Metamorphosis
Butterfly Links
Butterfly FAQ
Mystery Caterpillars

Ecolage - Source for butterfly plants

Click here to
Check out the Super Jewelry Deals page


Search This Site!

Host Plants                                                Nectar Plants

Passion Vine.   In various sizes and colors, this flower is what I see on each kind of Passion Vine

Passion Vine  These are used by Zebras, Fritillaries and Julias

Passion Vine
Another kind of Passion Vine.  See the flower in the next picture. This is the large flower type of Passion Vine.  This flower is about 3" across!

Passion Vine (Batwing)

Milkweed. Used by 
Monarchs and Queens

Another kind of Milkweed 


Pipe Vine (Aristolochia) Used by Pipe Vine and Polydamas Swallowtails


Pipe Vine bloom (front)


Pipe Vine flower about to bloom. The left side will open up facing left and it will look like a big orchid. 

Bacopa used by White Peacocks

Here are Pipevine 
pods ready to open

Here is an open Pipevine 
pod full of seeds
Cassia (There are many kinds of Cassias)
Used by various Sulphurs		 Here is my large Cassia (about 10 feet tall now) in full bloom. Mustard, used by Southern Whites (This will grow 4 to 5 feet tall and produce pretty yellow flowers)

False Nettle, used by Red Admirals.  
You can see it "blooming" at the 
upper center of the picture

Willow, used by Viceroys

Strangler Fig, used by Ruddy Daggerwings

Nectar Plants

Wild Ageratum, also called 
Blue Mistflower is the 
#1 nectar plant in my garden

Mexican Flame Vine

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Blue Porterweed

Pink Porterweed

Verbena (Makes a great 
ground cover plant too)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)

White Penta

Red Penta

Gallardia

Scarlet Milkweed

Firebush

Scorpiontail

Ruellia
Also called "Mexican Petunia"

Here are some pictures showing 
the easiest way to get seeds 
from milkweed pods

The color gets kind of yellow rather than a strong green when the pod is just about ready to open

You can check them each day by bending them a little bit to see if they will pop open

This pod has opened and within 
an hour or two the silk will dry 
and expand and the wind will 
blow the seeds everywhere.

If you pinch off the pod about 1/4" above the stem, you can then open it.

Hold it over a jar or other 
container and you can gently 
strip the seeds off of the silk stem.

For all those who have gotten the free seeds, please send me a few seeds when you start to get some.  Then I can use them to keep sending everyone Free Seeds.  Thanks!

They come off very easily 
(while the silk is still wet).

Ordering    Disclosure
Return To Main Menu
Paradise Jewelry
The Friendliest Store In The World!
5455 Airport Rd. North
Naples, FL 34109
Toll Free 877-591-2645
Copyright 2000, 2001
E-mail me at