Top Herbaceous Plants for wildlife

There are loads of herbaceous plants that attract wildlife in its many forms.  Bees and butterflies like herbaceous plants with a long flowering season that provide nectar for food.  Birds also will feed on seed heads left over the autumn months.  Many plants that attract butterflies will also attract bees so plant one and get more for your money!

Butterflies.

Butterflies will feed on nectar on plants with flat daisy-like flowers or flowers that are long and tubular.  Below is a list of herbaceous plants that are commonly planted to attract butterflies.

Achillea, Allium, Berkheya, Centaurea, Centranthus, Cynara, Echinacea, Echinops, Erigeron, Eupatorium, Knautia, Ligularia, Rudbeckia, Scaboisa, Sedum / Hylotelephium, Solidago and Verbena. 

                              

Achillea                 Allium                       Erigeron                     Ligularia                     Sedum                       Verbena      

Bees.

Bees prefer plants with open single flowers so they can reach the nectar.  Below is a list of herbaceous plants that are commonly planted to attract bees.

Achillea, Agastache, Allium, Aquilegia, Armeria, Cirsium, Cynara, Aster /Symphyotrichum,  Campanula, Digitalis, Echinacea, Eryngium, Eupatorium, Gaura, Geranium (single flowering varieties), Helianthus, Iris, Lythrium, Monarda, Nepeta, Salvia, Sedum / Hylotelephium, Solidago, Verbena and Veronica.  

                              

Agastache         Cynara                     Echinacea                 Gaura                  Geranium          Nepeta