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.

Amsonia illustris

Scientific Name: Amsonia illustris
Common Name: Shining Bluestar
Native Location: St. Louis/Midwest
Description: Shining blue star, Amsonia illustris, is a beautiful native plant of the dogbane family. The light blue, star-shaped flowers provide excellent nectar sources for butterflies, especially attractive to zebra swallowtails. Amsonia species also act as larval food plants for the snowberry clearwing moth. This plant blooms during April & May at the Butterfly House

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