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Butterflies

The Magnificent Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a herbaceous perennial that grows in places with full sun or part shade. It is the host plant for three species of butterflies and a nectar source for other insects and the fruits are a food source for birds. The multi-colored flowers bloom in the summer and the fruits mature in the fall. Numerous horticultural varieties of this plant are found in the horticultural trade. This plant can be purchased in the McMullen House Bed & Breakfast Garden shop.

Queen Butterfly on white flower.

The Royal, Stately, and Elegant Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)

The Queen butterfly is found in North America around Texas and the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Rarely, individuals will go north and in 2002 and 2003, some individuals were located in the Philadelphia and Reading areas of Pennsylvania (Monroe, James and David Wright. 2017. Butterflies of Pennsylvania, a field guide. University of Pittsburgh Press). It is part of the same genus as the Monarch butterfly, Danaus, and has seven recognized subspecies (Wikipedia).

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