What flying insects did your Buddleia attract today?

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The Buddleia or "Butterfly Bush" is a fantastic nectar plant and attracts butterflies, moths and all manner of flying beasties. Butterflies feeding from the shrub can include the following:

Brimstone
Comma
Common Blue
Gatekeeper
Green-veined White
Holly Blue, Large Skipper
Large White
Meadow Brown
Painted Lady
Peacock
Red Admiral,
Small Copper
Small Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell
Small White
Speckled Wood
Wall Brown
(but not all at once )

At the moment I've got Small Whites, Peacocks and Red Admirals.

So what did you see on your garden/local Butterfly Bush today?

[Jez]

Buddleia is yet to flower in my garden But the majoram, ox eye and nautia macedona planted together are providing as per usual lots of nectar for a mass of bumbles, honey bees and various hoverflies as well Ringlet, Common blue, Meadow browns, Gater keepers, Speckled wood, Large whites and yesterday i had my first visit in the garden from a silver washed fritillary. Looking forward to more when the buddleia finally flower!

[UB4 gardener]

it's been a cracking couple of weekends in the garden.
Silver washed fritillary (on Buddliea)
Peacock (on Buddliea)
Comma (on Buddliea)
Red Admiral (on Buddliea)
Small Tortoishell (on Buddliea)
Holly Blue
Common Blue
Marbled white (on Buddliea)
Ringlet
Meadow Brown (on Buddliea)
Gatekeeper (on Buddliea)
Large Skipper (on Buddliea)
Large White (on Buddliea)
GV White
small white
Speckled Wood
Small copper (on Buddliea)
Brimstone (on Buddliea)
the most at any one time was 6 species.

Last night there were, at about 9pm, at least 50 moths of the same species(Endotricha flammealis) on buddliea, marjoram, knapweed and yarrow, well on pretty much everything. you gotta love this time of year. The only trouble is i have also found about a dozen of the white crab spider (misumena vatia) on the buddliea to.
Chris

[aeshna5]

Lots of variety on those Buddlejas. Mine has been a bit stressed with the dry weather + haven't noticed many butterflies (or other insects) on it, apart from a fresh Small Tortoiseshell (which was first for a couple of years, as they went into steep decline locally).

Back- is you garden near the coast? I only say that because the Wall seems to have greatly decreased (extinct in a couple of counties now) in the south-east, hanging on mainly near the coast.

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Originally Posted by aeshna5

Lots of variety on those Buddlejas. Mine has been a bit stressed with the dry weather + haven't noticed many butterflies (or other insects) on it, apart from a fresh Small Tortoiseshell (which was first for a couple of years, as they went into steep decline locally).

Back- is you garden near the coast? I only say that because the Wall seems to have greatly decreased (extinct in a couple of counties now) in the south-east, hanging on mainly near the coast.

Hi aeshna5, In answer to your question, no I'm afraid I live a fair distance from the coast. I was interested to learn which species my Buddleia could attract so I did an interent search and found that there are at least 18 of them, and posted a list of these (but UB4 gardener has knocked spots off that - UB4, I want to live where you live ).

The Brimstone is an "early" species, is it not? I feel I have seen a very early Buddleia in other people's gardens. More pinkish if I recall. Can anyone suggest what variety it might have been?

I had a new one yesterday on my B.davidii. A Comma, which is very common, but I hadn't seen one here.

[Jez]

Brimstones are around from Feb-Nov Bev. Buddleia Globosa flower from May - June and have pom pom like flowers if that's any help to you?

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Hi Jez, thanks for that. I'll look that one up. Bev

[jayvee64]

Loads of bees on the Buddleia but only seen small tortoiseshells on there. Haven't noticed many different types of butterflies around as yet. Is this because it's been so flipping wet of late or location.? When holidaying down in Cornwall earlier this year I saw quite a few

[rossbristol]

today i had 7 lady birds, one peacock butterfly, one painted lady and i swear i saw a moth that looked like a hummingbird with a snout or am i seeing things? was only in the garden for 30 mins so not bad!

[burntfacedjake]

On Buddleja 'Lochinch' lots of Small Tortoiseshell, A Peacock, A Comma, Small White, lots of bees. Meadow Brown around as well. Hardly anything on the adjacent Buddleja 'Black Night'.