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A: Missouri is host to several swallowtail butterfly species including the spicebush swallowtail, Eastern tiger swallowtail and the pipevine swallowtail.

To attract more of these species to your yard, incorporating plants that provide food to both larvae (leaves) and adults (nectar from flowers) is important. The larvae of many swallowtails feed on leaves of specific Missouri native trees such as sassafras, pawpaw, hop tree and black cherry. If you are looking for something that takes up a bit less space, spicebush is the larval host for the spicebush swallowtail. Annual herbs like parsley, dill, fennel and rue along with the Missouri native perennial golden alexander are also excellent food sources for swallowtail larvae.

Not surprisingly, pipevine swallowtail larvae feed on the native perennial Dutchman’s pipe vine. Many native perennials such as blazing star, Jacob’s ladder, purple coneflower, ironweed and milkweeds along with annuals such as zinnias and petunias serve as nectar sources for adult butterflies. Finally, creating open areas for adults to bask in the sun (large stones work well), providing moist soil or shallow puddles to provide minerals and refraining from using insecticides should help increase the number of swallowtails in your yard. For more tips about butterfly gardening, visit .