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Host plants are plants that provide food for butterfly or moth larvae (caterpillars). Adult butterflies/moths lay their eggs on 
host plants, then the larvae hatch and eat from the plant before undergoing metamorphosis into butterflies. This is an important
(and often the longest) stage in the life of butterflies. Many butterfly species will only lay their eggs on one plant species (or similar groups of species) referred to as the "host plant". If you want to attract specific types of butterflies into your garden find out what the host plant is for that butterfly and make sure you have it.
If you want to support butterflies in your landscape, include both host and nectar plants to provide for their needs across the lifecycle. And if you are observant, you will get to see some of these larvae become butterflies.
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Cloudless sulphur larva on Desert Senna plant
Danielle Carlock 
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PLANT |
HOST FOR |
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Gulf fritillary, Mexican fritillary, Variegated fritillary butterflies |
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California Patch, Bordered Patch, and Painted Lady butterflies |
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Gold moth and the Bordered Patch butterfly |
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Desert marigold moth |
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Grey hairstreak butterfly, yellow scallop moth, and various geometer moths |
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Sleepy orange and cloudless sulphur butterflies |
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Fall False Tansy aster (Dieteria asteroids var glandulosa) |
Hooded owlet moths and flower moths |
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Painted lady, Grey hairstreak, Common checkered skipper, Northern white skipper, West coast lady and Small checkered skipper |
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Gregg’s mistflower |
Rawson’s metalmark ​butterfly |
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Hartweg's Twinevine (Funastrum cynanchoides ssp. heterophyllum) |
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Painted Lady butterflies |
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Dainty Sulphur butterfly, several species of owlet moths |
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Grey hairstreak and common checkered butterfly |
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Dainty Sulphur butterflies |
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Several species of skipper butterflies, Bird dropping moth, Owlet moth, Crambid seed moth |
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Ceranus blue, Marine blue butterflies, Melipotis moths |
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Several species skipper and satyr butterflies |
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Wright’s metalmark butterfly, Tiger moth, Tortrix moth |
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Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) |
Pink spotted hawkmoth, Rustic sphinx moth, Five spotted hawkmoth |
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Dainty Sulphur butterfly |
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Acmon blue and Funereal duskywing butterflies |
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Several species of skipper butterflies, Hualapai buckmoth, Viened Ctenucha moth |
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Common buckeye butterflies |
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Spreading fleabane (Erigeron divergens) |
Hooded owlet moth, flower moth |
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Superstition mallow (Abutilon palmeri) |
Several species of skipper butterflies, Bird dropping moth, Owlet moth, Crambid seed moth |
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Tahoka daisy (Machaeranthera tanacetifolia) |
Hooded owlet moths, Sagebrush checkerspot, Bordered patch, and Pearl crescent butterfly |