Goldenrod is an excellent fall nectar plant for butterflies and for other insects, too.
(And they do NOT cause allergies! Check out this page for references about this myth.)
Here are some others.
This sulphur butterfly is enjoying the nectar of this New England aster (Aster novae-angliae). This plant is a wonderful fall nectar plant for bees, too. As a bonus, it provides seeds for birds after the flowers die, which is why we let many of the flower stalks remain.
Other native asters are excellent fall nectar plants, too.
(I have lots of different species of native asters, but unfortunately I didn’t keep them labeled, so I’m not sure which is which at this point. Labeling is recommended!)
New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) has vivid magenta flowers and provides nectar for the long journey ahead.
During fall migration as we were traveling up I-81, we stopped for gas in Pennsylvania. I was heartened to see a few monarchs, and they seemed to be especially interested in an abundant white-flowered plant.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but since it was growing at the edge of a gas station, I took one plant home. (I never would take any plant from a natural area, but gas station parking lots aren’t really “nature.”)
I later discovered it was late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum), and it’s growing well in my yard to say the least. True to its name, it flowers in very late summer and fall. It gets very tall and reseeds some. I pull the extras and prune some back quite a bit in mid-June and it still flowers. It’s well worth the small amount of management it requires.
The old-fashioned sedum is one of those plants that have been around so long they seem like they must be native, though they’re not. On the other hand, they’re not invasive either, so I’ve kept this nectar-rich plant in my yard as a filler plant until I need the space for a native plant. It also works well in the hellstrip since it doesn’t seem to mind road salt.
Fall nectar plants for butterflies
In fall, the butterfly season is winding down here in CNY. Butterflies will be getting ready to overwinter in some form or another.
SEPTEMBER nectar plants in our yard
OCTOBER nectar plants in our yard
Resources
Reflections
Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.
~ R. H. Heinlein