www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I planted a small buddleia bush three years ago and with careful pruning it's now a six foot by four foot mass of flowers. This afternoon there were no fewer than 10 Painted Ladies, 5 Red Admiral, a few Peacock, Large White, Green-veined White, loads of Gatekeeper and a couple of Small Tortoiseshell. It's absolutely alive with other insects as well with the star so far being a Humingbird Hawkmoth this afternoon - first for the garden (mid Cheshire).
My only other Buddleia is in the back garden and is a spindly 10 foot or so with fewer flowers and that managed only a single Peacock all day. Just goes to show careful pruning to encourage bush desnity seems to do the trick.

What a collection! Where's the photos?
I trim my neighbour's bush because if I don't, he won't, and I can't get 42 degrees east on my satellite dish. That too is now a mass of flowers and I'm waiting for a few warm days to draw them in. If so, I'll get the stepladder out and stick my camera over the fence.

Photos - ah well there's a funny story. A girl from across the street was doing some weeding for us yesterday, she's only 19 and was skimpily dressed so I thought it prudent not to run around with a camera
Also forgot there were loads of Commas as well.

Hi Dave,

don't know if you already know but ..... buddleias don't need 'special prunning', just cut them back to as low as you can go every spring! My star buddleia is a twelve footer that was only 4 foot back in April, it's a real hero that I grew from a cutting some 12 years ago. I didn't get as many butterflies at once as you this year but I too saw my first ever humming bird hawk moth!

In my garden I've also found that the butterflies are more attracted to white buddleias than purple, yellow or orange, don't know if anyone else has found that?

Well, my buddleias finished flowering well over a week ago so I hope you continue to get more great visitors on yours.

DM