Host Plants

To raise butterflies and moths successfully, exhibit curators must provide the right host plants for each species. Look under leaves of plants labeled as host or food plants to spot caterpillars. This plant, Calotropis procera, is a member of the milkweed family from Africa, and is a host plant for the Monarch butterfly. If you look close, you can see a Monarch caterpillar on the milkweed flower.