In this collection, you will find many of the plants that are housed in our Conservatory and are visited frequently by our butterflies.  In addition, many of the plants in our outdoor  butterfly gardens are also listed.   

The first item for each plant is its Latin name and this link will take you to additional information about the species.

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense

Scientific Name: Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
Common Name: Sky Blue Aster
Native Location: Missouri native; Central US, north to Canada and south to Texas
Description: The Sky Blue Aster is a native perennial standing two to three feet tall with heart shaped leaves at the base of the plant. The stems produce flower heads up to one inch across in clusters with as many as 25 blue petal-like ray flowers with yellow centers. The bloom time is September through October. It is a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly and is a nectar source during the late summer and early fall months for bees, wasps and all butterflies.

<i>Symphyotrichum oolentangiense </i>