Nature never fails to amaze with its uniquely shaped species and to see some examples, check out these plants that look like butterflies!
From the Bird of Paradise with its bird-like blooms to monkey orchids that truly live up to their name, nature has a way of showing off its artistic side! The same goes for these plants that look like butterflies—while the whole plant might not resemble one, their flowers certainly do!
Plants That Look Like Butterflies
1. Butterfly Orchids
Botanical Name: Psychopsis papilio
USDA Zones: 9-12
Starting off with a gorgeous orchid species, the butterfly orchid is perfectly named so because of its showy blooms with brightly colored lips that look like butterflies from afar. Besides the long, antennae-like petals, the dappled yellow and brown sepals make the flower’s resemblance to butterfly wings even more striking!
Additionally, this orchid is a star bloomer, continuously producing flowers on the same spike for decades!
2. Impatiens
Botanical Name: Impatiens balsamina
USDA Zones: 2-11
Impatiens are a favorite for their vibrant blooms, but if you want a variety that truly mimics butterflies, go for the double-flowered types like ‘Camellia Flowers’. Their soft, ruffled petals come in shades of rose, salmon, white, scarlet, and violet, and the way they layer over each other gives the illusion of fluttering wings.
This old-fashioned plant, cherished for over a century in America, thrives in warm climates and is versatile enough to be grown in garden beds, borders, and even containers. Plus, its nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bumblebees!
3. Columbine
Botanical Name: Aquilegia canadensis
USDA Zones: 3-8
At first glance, the Columbine looks pretty interesting, thanks to its bell-shaped blossoms. But there’s more! These five-petaled flowers feature long, backward-extending spurs, which, as a whole, look like a butterfly extending its proboscis to enjoy the sweet nectar from the blooms.
In the wild, you can find the Columbine in all sorts of habitats ranging from rocky open woodlands to loamy or sandy soils with dry or moist conditions. Besides being a tough plant, it can self-propagate in your garden for years!
4. Cattleya Orchid
Botanical Name: Cattleya x elegans
USDA Zones: 10-12
Yet another orchid species, the Cattleya, is rightly known as the “Queen of orchids” for its beauty and elegance. But what really catches the eye is the shape of each bloom, with the elongated sepals and petals that open up on either side of the vibrant lip, resembling a butterfly with open wings over a sweet blossom.
If you grow these epiphytic orchids in hanging pots or containers, you’ll get the delightful illusion of fluttering butterflies indoors!
5. False Indigo
Botanical Name: Baptisia australis
USDA Zones: 3-9
Whether or not you agree with the description of indigo blossoms being pea-shaped, you will admit that the petal arrangement looks quite like the closed wings of a gorgeous blue butterfly!
This clump-forming perennial can be the cherry on the cake, not just because of the uniquely shaped flowers but also for the long flowering season extending for about three weeks in the summer. Besides looking like butterflies, the flowers also attract bees and hummingbirds.
6. Beeblossom
Botanical Name: Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’
USDA Zones: 5-9
As you can gauge from the name itself, the ‘Whirling Butterflies’ beeblossom variety lives up to its reputation! The flower buds start off pink, but as they bloom, they unfurl into white flowers that later develop a soft pink hue.
You will find that the plant is quite tough. However, the pretty, delicate four-petaled flowers dangling on wiry stems look like clusters of white butterflies dancing along the stem.
7. Butterfly Wing Plant
Botanical Name: Christia obcordata
USDA Zones: 9-11
A rare tropical plant from Southeast Asia, this plant totally lives up to its name with leaves that have an uncanny resemblance to butterflies in flight. Each leaf looks like a butterfly with open wings, and they can showcase a variety of shades, some of which can be variegated reddish-purple like in the Red Butterfly Wing.
Though this plant is quite exotic, it is actually one of the easiest plants to grow! But you will very rarely find freshly-picked seeds in markets or garden centers.
Note: You can only grow this plant indoors or in containers instead of outdoors in colder regions.
8. Purple Oxalis
Botanical Name: Oxalis triangularis
USDA Zones: 7-11
The Purple Shamrock also called the False Shamrock, is an incredible plant not just because of its dark purple and almost black foliage but also because of its triangular leaves. These are arranged in groups of three and look like butterflies with their wings open, hanging out over a plant!
The most unique part is that at night (or even on some cloudy days), the leaves fold up almost like an umbrella. With morning light, these open up again, just like prayer plants!
So, which of these butterfly-inspired plant varieties are you planning to add to your home garden to make your guests stare in awe? Let us know in the comments below!
