September Plants for Butterflies

[Lynn]

On our Butterfly Conservation reserves at Magdalen Hill Down and Bentley Station meadow Devil's bit scabious has just been coming into flower in the last few weeks and it will continue to flower through September, as will fleabane and Hemp agrimony. Ivy flowers are just coming out and proving to be very attractive to Red Admirals. Ivy is an important late source of nectar & well worth having in gardens too. Ivy forms flowers when it reaches the top of the wall fence or tree it is growing up. Try growing one up a short post to get flowers early. Ivy covered structures are also an important hibernation site for Brimstones.

So what is going on in my garden?

There are lots of fallen rotting apples - these are a favoured source of food for Red Admirals, Commas and Speckled Woods. Very soon the grapes on my Brandt - an ornamental vine with good Autumn tints - will be ripe/over-ripe .These, along with other autumn fruits like blackberries again are attractive to butterflies.

Herbaceous phlox are still flowering quite nicely as are buddleias - especially the ones that I got around to dead heading. New flowers on the scene are michelmas daisies and sedums.

But it must be said everything looks very autumnal and I am rather sad that summer and the butterflies have nearly come to an end.

[Neil Jones]

Devil's bit scabious is a very good nectar plant. As a young child I first noticed it as a nectar plant that was very common near my home. Until I saw my first Marsh Fritillary just a few yards from the house ( they used to visit our garden). I then looked in my books and discovered it was all over the place.
It seems to do quite well in lawns. It would seem it responds well to the cutting regim, but doesn't flower if repeatedly cut of course.