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Painted lady butterfly

Vanessa cardui

Medium orange-brown butterfly with white forewing spots and speckled hindwings. Migratory, appears in waves during spring and fall. Caterpillars feed on thistles and mallows; swift pollinator.

Plants that support Painted lady butterfly

Sun Exposure
Water
Size
Garden Style
Plant Traits

74 plants

Alameda County Thistle

Alameda County Thistle

Cirsium quercetorum

critical

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Cobwebby Thistle

Cobwebby Thistle

Cirsium occidentale var. venustum

critical

annual

Larval Host

Bay Area native
California Sagebrush

California Sagebrush

Artemisia californica

high

shrub

Larval Host

Bay Area native Keystone species
Common Fiddleneck

Common Fiddleneck

Amsinckia menziesii

high

annual

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Hairy gumplant

Hairy gumplant

Grindelia hirsutula

high

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Miner's Lettuce*

Miner's Lettuce*

Claytonia perfoliata subsp. intermontana

high

annual

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Mulefat

Mulefat

Baccharis salicifolia

high

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native
Narrowleaf mule ears

Narrowleaf mule ears

Wyethia angustifolia

high

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Seaside Daisy

Seaside Daisy

Erigeron glaucus

high

perennial herb

Nectar

Seaside Heliotrope

Seaside Heliotrope

Heliotropium curassavicum

high

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Stinging nettle

Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

high

perennial herb

Larval Host

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea var nigra) 'Black Knight'

perennial herb

Nectar

Alpine Self-heal

Alpine Self-heal

Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
American-hemp

American-hemp

Apocynum cannabinum

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Anserina

Anserina

Potentilla anserina subsp. pacifica

perennial herb

Larval Host

Apache-beads

Apache-beads

Anemopsis californica

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Baja Blue Sage

Baja Blue Sage

Salvia munzii 'Baja Blue'

perennial herb

Nectar

Beach Suncup

Beach Suncup

Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia subsp. cheiranthifolia

perennial herb

Larval Host

Black Sage

Black Sage

Salvia mellifera

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native
Blue Dips

Blue Dips

Dichelostemma capitatum

geophyte

Nectar

Blue Field Gilia

Blue Field Gilia

Gilia capitata

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
Branching Phacelia

Branching Phacelia

Phacelia ramosissima

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
California Aster

California Aster

Symphyotrichum chilense

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
California Aster

California Aster

Corethrogyne filaginifolia

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
California Buckeye

California Buckeye

Aesculus californica

tree

Nectar

Bay Area native
California Buckwheat

California Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native
Chaparral Pea

Chaparral Pea

Pickeringia montana var. montana

shrub

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Coast Angelica

Coast Angelica

Angelica hendersonii

perennial herb

Larval Host

Coast buckwheat

Coast buckwheat

Eriogonum latifolium

perennial herb

Nectar

Coastal Tidy-tips

Coastal Tidy-tips

Layia platyglossa

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
Common Pearlyeverlasting

Common Pearlyeverlasting

Anaphalis margaritacea

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Common Woolly Sunflower

Common Woolly Sunflower

Eriophyllum lanatum var. achilleoides

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Common sunflower

Common sunflower

Helianthus annuus

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native Keystone species
Coyote Mint

Coyote Mint

Monardella villosa

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native
Creeping Sage

Creeping Sage

Salvia sonomensis

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native
De la Mina Verbena

De la Mina Verbena

Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina'

perennial herb

Nectar

Desert Blue Bells

Desert Blue Bells

Phacelia campanularia

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Desert Lavendar

Desert Lavendar

Condea emoryi

perennial herb

Larval Host

Distant Phacelia

Distant Phacelia

Phacelia distans

annual

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Douglas's False Willow

Douglas's False Willow

Baccharis glutinosa

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Dune Tansy

Dune Tansy

Tanacetum bipinnatum

perennial herb

Larval Host

Early Harvest Brodiaea

Early Harvest Brodiaea

Brodiaea coronaria

geophyte

Nectar

Eastwood's Manzanita

Eastwood's Manzanita

Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. glandulosa

shrub

Larval Host

Bay Area native Keystone species
El Dorado Coast Sunflower

El Dorado Coast Sunflower

Encelia californica

perennial herb

Nectar

Facelia

Facelia

Phacelia tanacetifolia

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
Giant Figwort*

Giant Figwort*

Adelinia grandis

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Golden yarrow

Golden yarrow

Eriophyllum confertiflorum

shrub

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Goldeneggs

Goldeneggs

Taraxia ovata

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Interior Goldenbush

Interior Goldenbush

Ericameria linearifolia

shrub

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Ithuriel's Spear

Ithuriel's Spear

Triteleia laxa

geophyte

Nectar

Bay Area native
Jeweled Onion

Jeweled Onion

Allium serra

geophyte

Larval Host

Bay Area native
June Centaury

June Centaury

Zeltnera muehlenbergii

annual

Larval Host

Bay Area native
No photo

Lavender Mint

Mint (Mentha piperita) Lavender Mint

perennial herb

Nectar

Madrone

Madrone

Arbutus menziesii

tree

Nectar

Bay Area native Keystone species
Marian Sampson Hummingbird Mint

Marian Sampson Hummingbird Mint

Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson'

perennial herb

Nectar

Mock Heather

Mock Heather

Ericameria ericoides

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Mount Diablo Manzanita

Mount Diablo Manzanita

Arctostaphylos auriculata

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native Keystone species
Mt. Tamalpais Manzanita

Mt. Tamalpais Manzanita

Arctostaphylos montana ssp. montana

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native Keystone species
Naked Buckwheat

Naked Buckwheat

Eriogonum nudum var. auriculatum

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Presidio Clarkia

Presidio Clarkia

Clarkia franciscana

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
Purple Haze California Aster

Purple Haze California Aster

Aster chilensis 'Purple Haze'

perennial herb

Nectar

Purple sage

Purple sage

Salvia leucophylla

shrub

Nectar

Rubber Rabbitbrush

Rubber Rabbitbrush

Ericameria nauseosa

perennial herb

Nectar

Bay Area native
Saltmarsh Fleabane

Saltmarsh Fleabane

Pluchea odorata var. odorata

perennial herb

Nectar

Santa Rosa Island Sage

Santa Rosa Island Sage

Salvia brandegeei 'Pacific Blue'

shrub

Larval Host

Seaside woolly sunflower

Seaside woolly sunflower

Eriophyllum staechadifolium

shrub

Larval Host

Slender Sunflower

Slender Sunflower

Helianthus gracilentus

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native Keystone species
Spring Lessingia

Spring Lessingia

Lessingia tenuis

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
Threeray Tarweed

Threeray Tarweed

Deinandra lobbii

annual

Nectar

Bay Area native
No photo

White Monkeyflower

Diplacus bifidus 'White'

perennial herb

Nectar

Woolly Blue Curls

Woolly Blue Curls

Trichostema lanatum

shrub

Nectar

Woolly Mule's Ears's

Woolly Mule's Ears's

Wyethia mollis

perennial herb

Larval Host

Woollyfruit Desertparsley

Woollyfruit Desertparsley

Lomatium dasycarpum subsp. dasycarpum

perennial herb

Larval Host

Bay Area native
Yerba Santa

Yerba Santa

Eriodictyon californicum

shrub

Nectar

Bay Area native