Native Nectar Plants for a Butterfly Garden in the Northeast U.S.

Spring
common cinquefoil	Potentilla simplex
blueberries	Vaccinium spp.
blue flag	Iris versicolor
false indigo	Baptisia australis
wild geranium	Geranium maculatum
vetch	Vicia spp. (note that there are many non-native vetches)
wild lupine	Lupinus perennis
rhododendron	Rhododendron spp.
spicebush	Lindera benzoin
Summer
dogbanes	Apocynum androsaefolium, A. medium
common milkweed, swamp milkweed	Asclepias syriaca, A. incarnata
butterfly weed	Asclepias tuberosa
New Jersey tea	Ceanothus americanus
stag-horn sumac	Rhus typhina
sweet pepperbush	Clethra alnifolia
oswego tea	Monarda fistulosa, M. didyma
black-eyed Susan	Rudbeckia hirta
coreopsis	Coreopsis lanceolata
purple coneflower	Echinacea purpurea
Late Summer, Fall
mountain mints	Pycnanthemum spp.
New England aster	Aster novae-anglaie
Canada goldenrod	Solidago canadensis
blazing stars	Liatris spicata, L. scariosa
beggar ticks	Bidens aristosa (may be aggressive)
boneset	Eupatorium perfoliatum
Joe-pye weed	Eupatorium sp. (may be aggressive)
ironweed	Veronica sp.
physostegia, obedient plant	Physostegia virginiana
fireweed	Epilobium angustifolium
FOR MOTHS:
petunias, nicotania (native to South America)

Modified from table by Silvio O. Conte National Fisheries & Wildlife Refuge