Whether butterflies like daisies depends entirely on the specific flower’s physical structure. They seek flowers offering a high-calorie nectar reward and a convenient place to land, making the daisy family a common foraging target. This ecological relationship ensures both the butterfly’s survival and the plant’s reproduction. Understanding this context is useful for creating a garden that supports the entire life cycle of these insects.
Daisy Structure and Butterfly Attraction
The daisy family, Asteraceae, is generally attractive to butterflies because its flower structure provides an accessible nectar source and a flat, stable platform. What appears to be a single daisy bloom is actually a composite head made up of two types of tiny flowers: the outer ray florets (petals) and the hundreds of densely packed disc florets that form the central “eye.” The disc florets are where the nectar is produced, and their clustered arrangement allows a butterfly to feed repeatedly without having to fly to a new location immediately.
Butterflies cannot hover like hummingbirds, so they need a broad, flat surface to land and rest while they unroll their proboscis to drink. The ray florets of a simple, single-layered daisy, such as a Black-Eyed Susan or a native Coneflower, serve this function perfectly. These flat, open flowers provide easy access to the sweet liquid produced deep within the central disc. For instance, Shasta daisies are a well-documented nectar source for many species, including the Painted Lady and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
However, highly cultivated daisy varieties, especially those with “double blooms,” are often unappealing or inaccessible to butterflies. Plant breeders have selectively transformed many of the central, nectar-producing disc florets and pollen-bearing stamens into extra layers of ornamental ray florets, creating a dense, fluffy flower head. This architectural change buries the remaining nectar too deep beneath the mass of petals, making it impossible for the butterfly’s proboscis to reach the reward. Therefore, a wild or single-petaled daisy is more beneficial to a butterfly than a densely packed ornamental cultivar.
General Flower Preferences of Butterflies
Butterflies use visual and chemical cues to locate suitable flowers. Their color vision extends into the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, allowing them to see patterns invisible to the human eye that act as “nectar guides.” They are drawn to bright, warm colors like yellow, orange, and red, though purple and pink are also strong attractants. These colors help them spot flowers from a distance.
Once landed, butterflies use chemoreceptors located on their antennae and feet to sense the quality and presence of nectar. This sensory ability helps them confirm the sugary reward before fully unrolling their long, straw-like proboscis. The physical shape of the flower is also a significant factor, with many butterflies preferring clustered, short-tubed flowers that provide a high concentration of nectar per visit.
Their preference for flat, composite flower heads, like those found in the daisy family, is a direct result of their foraging style. The broad landing platform allows them to bask in the sun and rest while feeding, conserving energy for flight. The combination of visible color, a stable landing site, and accessible nectar determines a flower’s attractiveness to a butterfly.
Distinguishing Nectar Sources from Host Plants
A successful butterfly garden must include two distinct types of plants: nectar sources and host plants. Nectar plants, like daisies, provide the sugary fuel adult butterflies need for flight and reproduction. This nectar is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, and salts that sustain the adult insect.
Host plants, by contrast, are specific plants on which a female butterfly lays her eggs, and which serve as the only food source for the resulting caterpillars. The relationship between a butterfly species and its host plant is often specialized, having evolved over millennia. For example, Monarch butterflies rely exclusively on milkweed species for their eggs and larval stage.
While a daisy provides the adult with energy, it does not support the next generation of butterflies. Other examples of host plants include dill and parsley for the Black Swallowtail caterpillar, and violets for the Fritillary butterflies. Therefore, a garden full of nectar-rich daisies attracts adult butterflies, but it will not support their complete life cycle without the necessary host plants.