Early autumn flowers for NZ butterflies

March 2026

Common blue butterfly on ageratum

The weather certainly changed over the last month with the garden borders looking distinctly less colourful. It is taking longer for the sun to reach most of the flower garden, as we are in a little valley, and so it is the afternoons that have most insect activity.

Despite the change of season from summer to autumn, there are still plenty of flowers around for the butterflies and other pollinators. Many butterflies' favourite flower, verbena "Vanity," has done its dash and didn't feature as a nectar plant in March, although it is still bringing colour to the garden.

I released over 60 yellow admiral butterflies across the month, none of which stuck around more than a day, but the blue butterflies have been back in the garden, which has been lovely. I am listing more flowers in this post as the blue butterflies have different favourites to the monarchs. Really it is just an excuse for more butterfly / flower photos.

Ageratum

This seems to have been in flower for ages - did it ever stop flowering? - but this month the monarchs have been all over them, as well as the white and blue butterflies. I love the blue tone of ageratum, also called bluemink or floss flowers, and can't get enough of them. This month, neither can the butterflies.

Tropical milkweed

The monarchs probably visited the zinnias as much as the tropical milkweed this month, but with the blues also coming for a taste, this was March's favourite flower for autumn nectar. The milkweed are releasing seed now and still there is no stopping them flowering.

A long-tailed blue butterfly on tropical milkweed

Zinnias

With the advent of tagged monarch butterflies coming into the garden, it's been clearer what flowers each monarch feeds from. I've complained before about the males being so boisterous, you can never keep an eye on a particular monarch unless it has some distinguishing feature. Now with the tags it is easier to track a butterfly feeding across the garden. All the tagged monarchs have loved these tall zinnias. I believe zinnias came out top of a MBNZT survey on flowers for butterflies and certainly these are a monarch favourite in my garden too.

Stokesia

I have mentioned before that I bought a number of plants with reputations as "butterfly flowers" that the butterflies had, in fact, ignored. This low-growing, long-flowering plant was one of them. It's been a bee favourite, but it is only now the blue butterflies are back that it is getting some butterfly attention. It had already earned its place in the garden though.

Long-tailed blue butterfly on blue stokesia

Duranta Geisha Girl

This proved a hit with the late summer monarch butterflies, but this month cabbage whites and yellow admirals have also been seen on this shrub. It has been the very last of the flowers, but I have been reluctant to cut it back until its completely gone over. I wouldn't recommend it as a butterfly flower alone, given it's size, but it is a butterfly-friendly hedging option.

A yellow admiral butterfly on the last of the duranta flowers

Cosmos

Coming to the fore in February for the butterflies, despite having flowered long before that, the orange cosmos has had blue butterflies and monarchs feeding from it in March too. I am no longer dead-heading these, so there are seeds for the local goldfinches over winter, but I imagine they would continue on through April if I encouraged them.

A monarch butterfly on Cosmos "Cosmic Orange"

The blue butterflies have also fed from Mexican bush sage and gaura, as well as the flowers of weeds, such as catsear.

I anticipate the choices for nectar will decrease dramatically from April and it will now be a test whether I can ensure year-round nectar. Unlike last year when I had no expectations of butterflies being in the garden on sunny winter days, I think this year will be different and ongoing nectar sources will be crucial to the success of the butterfly garden.