The Butterfly Bush

I’ve always known that Buddleja was a seriously important plant for insects, but until a couple of weeks ago when I saw the one growing in the garden of my mothers next door neighbour, I didn’t realise just how important it really is. To say the plant was alive with butterflies was a gross understatement. It’s for this very good reason that Buddleja davidii is known as the butterfly bush.

Buddleja is technically an invasive species and is commonly found on waste ground, but something that provides so much benefit to insect species can hardly be looked upon as a bad thing. It can grow out of control very quickly if it isn’t pruned and this is a major reason why it isn’t seen in many gardens but with only a small amount of effort it can be contained and once it starts flowering in the summer months, the rewards make the effort of pruning worthwhile. This plant attracts almost every species of nectar sipping butterfly and moth as well as a fine collection of bees and other pollen spreading insects.

The plant has a very attractive purple coloured flower and many people mistake it for Lilac. There are about 100 species of the plant but for photographers it’s the davidii variety we are interested in. It’s beginning to tail off now for the year but there are still good blooms to be found along rail sidings. That purple flower you keep seeing out the window as the train heads into town is Buddleja. It is a key plant to have on your side if you want to capture photos of Red Admirals, Peacocks and Painted Ladys. Due to a variety of commitments, I was unable to make the best use of the plant this year but I will be making it a priority next year so I can get that perfect image of a Peacock that I’ve been after for a while now. I’m planting it in the new garden as well so let’s hope it takes.

In the meantime, there are still flowering shrubs out there and butterflies looking for their last meal before they too tail off so best of luck. Maybe there’s still one final decent image of the year left too take.

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