Calling All Hummingbirds! Butterflies, too!

Flame anisacanthus (left) is a top choice of hummingbirds and butterflies. Salvia greggii (right) blooms almost all season long.

Tubular flowers tend to draw butterflies and hummingbirds, and some of the types that are best suited to Texas in spring, summer and into the fall would be the various salvias, especially Salvia greggii (blooms in spring, on and off during summer and again in fall), lantanas, verbenas (most types bloom best in spring, then may die away); pentas, firebush (Hamelia); Gold Star esperanza and flame anisacanthus (Anisacanthus wrightii).

Three hummingbird magnets grow side-by-side in this fall Texas garden: Gold Star esperanza, Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) and firebush (Hamelia patens).

The ornamental milkweeds such as butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) are great in the spring, and some bloom all summer and fall. They attract both by their flowers and when their foliage is used as a food source. Finally, parsley and passionvines attract butterflies because they’re dining preferences for the larvae.