For a beautiful garden, butterflies are a necessity.  They are some of our best pollinators.  Like honeybees, they drink nectar from the flowers and as they go from flower to flower, will help pollinate it. So for a beautiful garden, and for the fun of watching butterflies, usee these drought tolerant and pretty flowering plants. You’ll find they are  all pretty low maintenance, which is the best kind of garden plant.

Milkweed is an important nectar source for native bees, wasps, and other nectar-seeking insects.  It is also the only food source for monarch butterflies.

Echinicea (echinicea purpurea) brings pretty purplish flowers. And yes, it’s the medicinal Echinacea. They are hute bloomers, so deadheading them is important to keep them going. They like well drained soil.

Purple Haze (Summer Lilac) has a distinctive horizontal, low-spreading habit adorned with dark green, feathery leaves. Its deep purple-blue, butterfly- and hummingbird-attracting blooms grow outward and downward, starting in midsummer and appearing continuously until frost. What a glorious accent for the sunny garden!at a glorious accent for the sunny garden!

Black Eyed Susans are great butterfly attracting flowes for your garden! Perfect for both heat and drought tolerant, they also thrive in shadier areas.

Next is Zinnias!  They will attract bees, butterflies and birds.  Added bonus – they will bloom all summer and into late fall. They require full sun.

Anise Hyssop attract butterflies and hummingbirds with their fragrant flowers and colorful blossoms. Low maintenance and drought resistant, Anise Hyssop is also great option for containers.