A weed is a plant in an unwanted place. However, this depends on your point of view! Sometimes we are surprised that these weeds are host plants for butterflies. Host plants provide food for the caterpillars of these butterflies. Here are four host plants often seen as weeds.

Tropical Buckeye Butterfly

Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) is a plant with weed as part of its common name. It is a short-lived perennial with delicate blue flowers on a spike-like stem. Also, it is a popular nectar and host plant for the Tropical Buckeye Butterfly.

White Peacock Butterfly

Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) can become a problem in lawns as it grows low like a ground cover and may not be noticed until its small white flowers bloom. However, this plant is not only a great nectar plant but also is a host for the White Peacock, Phaon Crescent, and Common Buckeye Butterfly.

Checkered White Butterfly

Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum) is another host plant for both the Great Southern and Checkered White Butterflies. This plant if very troublesome in pastures. The plant has very small white flowers and seeds with a very peppery taste. Also, the plant is edible and was used in the past as a substitute for pepper, and the leaves were used in salads.

Dainty Sulphur Butterfly

Spanish needle (Bidens alba) has small white flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. It is host for the small, yellow butterfly called Dainty Sulphur.

The nature of weeds is to be highly prolific because of the large number of seeds and easy dispersal. Bidens alba has seeds with hooks that easily hitchhike on clothing. However, coexistence with weeds can be achieved by containing them in controlled areas, such as pots or walled-off spaces. So, the question is “to weed or not to weed?”

Still having trouble identifying Florida plants and weeds, then visit the Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic. The hours are Monday through Friday, from 9am to 4pm. Also, Master Gardeners are stationed in the plant clinic from 10am to 2pm. Visit the Plant Clinic at the Lake County Agriculture Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares, FL 32778, T: 352-343-4101.

This article was written with the help of MGV Karen Kennen, Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer. Thank you! In addition, the four images were generated by an AI tool with the expressed purpose of visualizing a butterfly with it’s potential host plant. Microsoft, July 10, 2026, copilot.microsoft.com.

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