Is the Spider Flower a Nectar Plant for Butterflies?

Attraction

• Butterflies are especially attracted to plants with brightly colored clusters of flowers. Cleome flowers fit this description, with blossoms that can be pink, purple, white or yellow. Individual flowers are grouped in clusters called racemes atop tall central stems. Cleome is an annual that begins blooming in summer and continues through the first frost, providing butterflies with a regular nectar supply. The configuration of the racemes also provides butterflies with convenient landing sites.

Culture

• Cleome can be started from seed either indoors (six to eight weeks before the last frost date for an area) or sown directly in the ground after all danger of frost is past. Like most flowering annuals, it will grow best in a sunny place with well-drained soil. Though the plants need regular water until established, they are somewhat drought tolerant after that. Regular deadheading increases flower production.

Butterfly Habitats

• Cleome and other nectar-rich annuals provide food for adult butterflies and are an important part of a butterfly garden. It is also essential to provide butterflies with host plants, which provide food for caterpillars. There are many readily available host plants. Local cooperative extension agents often have information on location-specific choices. Examples of common host plants include milkweed (monarchs), spicebush (spicebush swallowtail) and dill or fennel (black swallowtail). Butterflies also need the cover provided by various shrubs and trees, as well as water sources, which can be as small as birdbaths or basins.

Considerations

• Cleome plants are vigorous and self-seed abundantly. This can be a positive factor in informal gardens or a negative one in more formal landscapes, or in areas where space is limited. Unwanted seedlings are generally easy to pull out. Seedlings of hybrid varieties will probably not have all the traits of the hybrid parent plant.