Host plants: Plants which butterfly and moth caterpillars eat.

Nectar plants: Plants that produce flowers from which butterflies and moths drink nectar.

Butterfly caterpillars (larvae) are particular about what food they eat. Monarchs eat only milkweed. Gulf Fritillaries eat only passionvine. Some butterflies are not as particular, such as the Painted Lady. Painted Lady caterpillars eat dozens of plants. Host plants are what transforms a butterfly garden into a butterfly habitat.

Nectar plants feed adult butterflies as well as other insects and even birds (hummingbirds). Nectar plants attract butterflies to your garden if they are in the area or traveling through.

Some plants are both host and nectar plants, such as milkweed, aster, firecracker, frogfruit, Philippine violet, shyleaf, oleander, Mexican petunia, and passionvine.